In the dark days of slavery, the Benin Kingdom was one of the few territories in the southern part of Nigeria where slavery did not thrive with the active collaboration of the locals, especially kings and chiefs. Instead, the kingdom was known for its stout refusal to participate in what was then the common practice of selling indigenes out to Europeans for the ultimate journey into slavery.
It should, therefore, be considered an irony of history that the two states that probably incorporated the Benin Kingdom of old – Edo and Delta states – are today arguably the headquarters of modern slavery in Nigeria, which is just but part of a global problem.
Most media reports on Nigerian girls being trafficked virtually on a daily basis out of the country with promises of lucrative jobs, but who end up parading the streets of major European cities as prostitutes or, at best, involved in menial jobs like house helps with little or no pay, indicate that many of the girls are from those two states. Many of the girls who are regularly being brought back to the country from Libya are often from Edo and Delta states.
This should be a matter for concern not just for the governments and stakeholders in those two states, but also for Nigerians as a whole. While victims of trafficking suffer the physical and psychological pain of being traded in the booming international slave market with dehumanizing experiences that may include death, the exercise helps to paint a picture of the country in a manner that is anything but complimentary.
While it is true that many of the girls that were trafficked out of the country and into prostitution were deceived into believing there were decent jobs like hairdressing, domestic help and teaching in non-English speaking countries of Europe to be picked up but ended up becoming commercial sex workers, some actually left the country enticed by tales of big money in the trade but ended up as sex slaves.
What is required is a more holistic approach in fighting the evil of human trafficking which targets young girls who are taken out of the country with promises of lucrative jobs abroad, which do not exist. There must be a collective resolve to send out a loud and clear message that girls are “Not for Sale” in any guise. This exercise would involve all stakeholders including parents, guardians, community and religious leaders, as well as other young women working hard at earning a living in various fields of endeavour.
There is no denying the fact that the economic situation in the country has driven many Nigerians up the wall, with some barely managing to make ends meet. The situation has forced many young men and women to seek a life outside the country as better alternatives, apparently based on the mistaken belief that the grass is always greener on the other side.
However, despite the inclement economic weather in Nigeria, there are many reasons the country remains the better choice for young girls who are daily being deceived into believing there is paradise in Europe. Nothing compares with the freedom of moving about in your own country without any fear of molestation and discrimination on account of race, colour and gender. It is better to be jobless in your own country, with the very high probability of getting help from family members in a society where the extended family system is very strong than being in a similar situation in a foreign land where one’s life may be exposed to danger.
The point must be made that the situation in the country does not in any way make young girls commodities for sale. This is the narrative the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is working with the UK Aid to sell in the country, using the launch Not for Sale campaign, a collaborative effort between both organizations. The two organizations are using the campaign to inspire and empower young girls, especially in Edo and Delta states wherein a sizeable number of human trafficked victims come from, to achieve success in their communities without having to put their lives on the line to go abroad in search of better lives that do not exist.
Stories of young girls from those two states who have succeeded in rising above their (sometimes unpleasant) circumstance through sheer determination, diligence and hard work should be enough inspiration for others who may be dreaming of an Eldorado in Europe.
There are thousands of girls from Edo and Delta states resident within and outside those states, with so many in Lagos and other big cities like Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and virtually all over the country who have excelled in many worthy pursuits of career and entrepreneurship i.e. in hairdressing, tailoring/fashion design, catering etc. They prove that girls from these parts of the country are no less enterprising than those from other regions. Their successes should thereby drive home the point that girls do not have to be sold as commodities to achieve any so-called success.
The collaborative effort of NATIP and the UK Aid is aimed at encouraging girls, particularly from Edo and Delta states to believe that if their kith and kin can ‘make it’ (the Nigerian parlance for succeeding) despite the economic hardship in the country, then there is no girl of adult age that cannot succeed in any decent and legitimate human undertaking of her choice.
Eromosele, a lawyer, lives in Lagos
