Thousands of Nigerian women and girls, some as young as 13, are being trafficked to towns and cities in Ivory Coast by agents taking advantage of record unemployment in Nigeria. Recruiting agents enter rural communities or post in jobseekers’ groups on Facebook with promises of legitimate-sounding work before passing recruits to other agents who trap them into a hidden world of exploitation and debt bondage.

Sara* is one of the thousands of Nigerian women who was trafficked and is being exploited in the sex industry in Ivory Coast.

False promises and stolen lives

According to The Guardian, trafficking is a major crisis in Nigeria, with between 750,000 and 1 million people forced into begging, prostitution, domestic servitude, armed conflict, and labor exploitation.

Sara was told she would be going to the Ivorian city to sell body lotion; instead, a recruiter who paid for her travel sent Sara to brothels every night. Three months later, Sara is still waiting to earn enough to pay off the debt to the recruiter for travel, clothes, sustenance, and bribes paid to agents and authorities, so she can return to Nigeria.

It is widely known amongst authorities that Nigerian women are being targeted, however, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (Naptip) in Nigeria declined to comment when questioned about the girls trapped and exploited in the sex industry in Ivory Coast. Additionally, the Ivorian national police did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment either.

Learn more