Beyond Borders
A profile of trafficking to the UK from Nigeria
Jenny Pennington: Researcher IPPR
Overview
• Background• The research study• Profile of trafficking, trafficked people, traffickers, wider pop.• Lessons for policy
Background to the study
• Identification that this was a significant issue• Concerns about the response• Commitment to preventative approach• Research and policy gaps
The study
• Carried out in partnership with Eaves and the dRPC• Life-history interviews with forty people who had been
trafficked from Nigeria to the UK• Interviews with stakeholders in Nigeria and the UK• Representative poll of the Nigerian population n=1098
Profile of trafficking
• Journey: directly to the UK (not overland or via EU)• Type: indistinct, domestic work and sexual exploitation• Location: ‘Hidden’: exploitation in private homes, hotels
Trafficked as child Trafficked as adult
Sexual exploita-tiondomestic servitudeBoth
Sexual exploita-tionDomestic servitudeBothFertility treatment
Profile of trafficked people
• Female: 39 women and one man• Young: average of 19 y/o• Locally concentrated: Southern Nigeria, also Abuja and Sokoto• Particularly vulnerable group:
– Childhood vulnerability: 38% orphaned, 70% grew up outside family– Gender based violence: 33% sexual assault, 15% forced marriage
• Experienced trafficking as a continuation of abuse and disempowerment:– 28% internally trafficked before leaving for Europe– 80% played no part in ‘decision’
Profile of traffickers
Stranger
Not known to victim or their community
10
Direct
Known to the victim directly, a family
member or family friend. Recruited and
exploited by same trafficker
14
Linked
Recruiter known to their community,
(family member or friend). Often passed
on to different exploiter
16
• Familiarity between traffickers and trafficked people• Few long strings, evidence of networks• Involvement of parents, churches, community leaders, border
guards
Awareness among wider population
• Awareness of trafficking is high: 78% had heard of the term ‘trafficking in persons’, 59% felt they knew what it meant
• High sense of personal resilience: 34% agreed that it was ‘easy to live a good life in Europe’, 36% disagreed but felt it was ‘worth travelling to Europe despite risks’, 60% of parents ‘would send their child to Europe if offered the opportunity’
Lessons for policy
Addressing trafficking in Nigeria• Acknowledge the broad dynamics of trafficking• Recognise the limits of awareness raising• Provide protection from violence and take action on child
protectionAddressing trafficking in the UK• Target abuse rather than networksAddressing trafficking transnationally• Take initial steps through building a shared understanding• Act local not international
Lessons for policy
Addressing trafficking in Nigeria• Review DfID plans, fund refuge accommodation, support
training on child protection• Awareness campaigns that target communitiesAddressing trafficking in the UK• Appoint local champions• Re-establish domestic worker routeAddressing trafficking transnationally• Clarify the role of NAPTIP – coordinate, not reintegration• Appoint independent rapporteur