Skip to main content

African Migrant Women Face “Shocking Sexual Abuse” on Journey to Europe



IOM staff Italy, meeting with a migrant. Credit: UN Migration Ageny (IOM) 2017
          Up to 80 per cent of Nigerian migrant women and girls arriving on Europe’s shores in Italy could potentially be sex trafficking victims, spotlighting the horrific levels of abuse and violence migrants face along their arduous journeys for a better future, according to a UN study.
In its report, “Human Trafficking through the Central Mediterranean Route” (in Italian*), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) highlights the plight of those who have been assisted by the UN agency and calls for urgent action against the “market” which are supplied these victims was well as what is called is a “growing demand” for paid sexual services.
“Trafficking is a transnational crime that devastates the lives of thousands of people and is the cause of untold suffering,” Federico Soda, the Director of the IOM Coordinating Office for the Mediterranean, said announcing the findings.
“This is a theme we have been working on for years, committing to protect, prevent and collaborate with the authorities dealing with organized crime.”
According to the UN agency, over the past three years, its office in Italy has witnesses an almost 600 per cent increase in the number of potential sex trafficking victims arriving in Italy by sea. The upward trend has continued during the first six months of this year, with most victims arriving from Nigeria.
The data feeding the report was drawn from IOM operations in various parts of Italy, where staff met with potential victims of trafficking as soon as they reached the country, allowing the UN agency to develop a list of indicators that can help identify potential victims.
Described in the report, the indicators include gender (most sex trafficking victims are women); age (most victims age between 13-24 years); nationality (most are Nigerians); and psycho-physical wellness (victims are mostly silent and often “controlled” by other migrants who speak on their behalf or refuse to let them be interview by IOM).
When IOM staff identify a potential victim of trafficking, they explain to them that it is possible to access protection mechanisms and, with the victim’s consent, the staff inform the anti-trafficking helpline about the victim.
Also, if the person agrees, IOM staff provides assistance in communicating and filing a report to the investigating authorities.
“The report describes IOM’s activities in the face of this phenomenon: the difficulties in protecting victims and the main vulnerabilities identified among several cases of people who were assisted by [the agency],” said Carlotta Santarossa.
“We also wanted to tell some of the stories of people who have been assisted by IOM staff to highlight the true nature of this painful and hateful form of slavery.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) threatens to attack Italian vessels in Libyan waters unlikely to materialise, but risks support mission

   the Italian parliament approved legislation allowing Italian military vessels to patrol Libyan waters in order to stem the flow of migrants entering Italy. This is the latest in a series of initiatives and proposals by the Italian government to block the Mediterranean migrant route, including the recent introduction of a code of conduct curtailing the flexibility of aid groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate rescue vessels in the Mediterranean. In response to the latest measure to deploy the Italian navy, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) – a militia associated with the Tobruk-based government in eastern Libya – warned that any non-commercial vessel entering Libyan waters without prior authorisation would be attacked.
Post a Comment
Read more

Carthy calls on Coveney to intervene in case of Hunger-striking refugees in Greece

Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy has called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney to urgently intervene in the case of asylum seekers in Greece who have been on hunger strike for over a month. Bahrooz Arash, and Kozhin Hussein are demanding an end to arbitrary imprisonment and inhumane treatment including psychological and physical abuse of refugees in Moria detention centre. Matt Carthy said: “I have contacted the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, The Irish Embassy in Greece and Christos Stylianides EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid & Crisis regarding the disturbing case of asylum seekers in Greece who have been on hunger strike for over a month now. “The Hunger strikers are seeking an end to arbitrary imprisonment and inhumane treatment including psychological and physical abuse of refugees in Moria detention centre. “Bahrooz Arash is now in a particularly bad condition having lost 16kgs since his hunger strike began. “Despite medical opinio...
Post a Comment
Read more

Around 800 migrants storm fences to enter Spanish enclave in Africa

        Around 800 migrants stormed border fences separating Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco to get into Europe, police said Thursday. The Guardia Civil said 602 migrants made it onto Spanish soil in a massive assault on high, barbed-wire fences shortly after dawn. Migrants cut holes in the fences and threw feces and quicklime, a skin irritant, at police officers trying to hold them back, the Guardia Civil said in a statement. They also threw stones at police vehicles, breaking windows, and hurled makeshift flamethrowers at police officers.                       The police statement said 16 migrants were taken to the hospital, while five of 15 police hurt were also hospitalized. The Spanish Red Cross said in a tweet that 132 migrants were hurt in the mass charge. Sub-Saharan Africans living illegally in Morocco try to get to Europe each year by climbing rows of 6-meter (2...
Post a Comment
Read more