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| HumanTrafficking |
Not even the adverse weather conditions in Russia is enough
deterrent for Nigerian human traffickers as no fewer than 200 Nigerian girls
are trafficked every month to Russia for prostitution, says Nigeria’s
ambassador to Russia, Asam Asam.
Asam, who spoke against the backdrop of consular challenges
faced by the embassy, disclosed this in an interview with the Europe
Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Berlin.
An investigation revealed that the crime has declined in
Western Europe following strict laws on illegal migration, and joint efforts by
Nigeria and the governments of those countries to curb the menace.
However, attention has shifted to Eastern Europe as the new
destination for the trade. In the last decade, Italy had seemed the capital of
human trafficking, especially for young girls who were lured to the country by
a mafia gang under the pretext that some house keeping or floor sales jobs had
been arranged for them. But they ended up serving as prostitutes on the street
of many European countries.
According to Asam, “The major consular challenge we face in
Moscow is the influx of trafficked persons from Nigeria, not less than 200
girls are trafficked every month, and we have so many of them exposed to
danger.
“Some are thrown out of the window and treated harshly,
there must be a way of stopping these racketeering; these girls are not
tourists, students or government officials, yet they are given visas from the
Russian embassy in Abuja.
“So far we have deported over 240 girls since 2012. You will
be shocked at the extent of resistance from the girls. We tell them Russia is
not a destination for prostitutes, yet they still come.”
He said the mission tries to curb the menace by arranging
deportation exercises for those caught, but the challenges are enormous.
According to NAN, the envoy said such interventions would be
more effective at the point of entry, saying “the strategy is to stop them from
Nigeria, and fish out those involved in the trade.”
“For instance a well-known Russian human trafficker who has
been in the trade for about 20 years was caught in Nigeria. The National Agency
for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) was on the verge of
releasing her before I filed a protest from Moscow to the Comptroller General of
Immigration,” Asam stressed.
He said even the parents of those trafficked encourage their
children. “I spoke to the mother of one of the girls and she said her daughter
should remain in Moscow and try to survive the ordeal, this is very sad indeed
coming from one’s parent,” he said.
He tasked the media on sensitising the public on the dangers
of trafficking in Russia, saying: “This East European nation has become a new
destination for them, and believe me it is a very big crime here.”
Asam, however, said other Nigerians who reside in that
country were students and professionals in various fields. Several
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) aside from NAPTIP have been involved in
the crusade against human trafficking in Nigeria.
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