UK Warns Nigerian Women To Stay Off Their Country | See Why
Desperate Nigerian women have been warned to stay in Nigeria and look for greener pastures rather than going to the United Kingdom.
In a report by the UK Independent, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting the Not For Sale campaign launched to curb trafficking of innocent girls and women from Nigeria.
In the campaign that started in March, some women shared their harrowing experiences on how they were tempted to travel to Europe but eventually got something doing in Nigeria.
With the UK’s backing, posters are to be placed in schools, churches and marketplaces in an attempt to reduce trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labour.
DFID said the campaign focuses on “aspirational stories of women who have established successful careers in Nigeria.”
One of the victims featured in the adverts, Gift Jonathan, a single mother-of-two explained how she was raped and tortured when she tried to move to Europe. She had said:
READ ALSO: Nigerian Victims of Sex Trafficking Share Their Tales of Horror to Caution Others
“Three years ago, I was a single mother with two children living with my widowed mother. Things were so hard that when my friend told me about travelling to Germany, guy I moved! We only made it to Libya. I was sold, raped and tortured. I saw many Nigerians die including my friend Iniobong.
The single mom has returned to Nigeria and started her baking business which she said brings her enough money to take care of her family.
Operating in about 12 countries since 2007, the Not For Sale has supported nearly 35,000 survivors and at-risk individuals, providing them long-term care, housing, education, vocational training, and healthcare.
”When I made it to Nigeria, I met with people who registered me in a vocational centre and encouraged me.
Today I’m a baker in Benin making enough money to take care of my family. My boys will not grow up to be ashamed of their mother. My name is Gift Jonathan and I am not for sale.”
READ ALSO: ”I Slept With More Than 400 Men in Five Months” Victim Of Human Trafficking Spills
Nigeria has one of the highest figures for modern slavery in Africa and is one of the top five countries of origin for modern slavery victims reaching Europe and the UK.
In 2018 alone, 208 Nigerian nationals were identified as potential victims of trafficking in the UK.
The newspaper quoted Penny Mordaunt, a member of UK parliament, to have described modern slavery as one of the greatest human rights abuses.
“UK aid is working in partnership with the National Crime Agency and Nigerian law enforcement to stop it at its source,” she said.
“Together we are tackling the root causes of dangerous migration to prevent vulnerable women and girls from becoming targeted by traffickers. The benefits of this will be far-reaching – preventing regional instability and helping us tackle modern slavery here in the UK.”
Watch…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzRxWyLMPH4
Photo Credit: Independent