Poverty-stricken illegal migrants from Nigeria in search of a better future in Europe who end up in Libya, abused and exploited by traffickers. Their horrific accounts.
ON A SULTRY FRIDAY NIGHT, traders frantically arrange clothes and shoes on the ground next to the roundabout on Adetokunbo Ademola street in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Yellow tricycles, known locally as Keke Marwa, zip past pedestrians weaving carelessly through the evening traffic, often emitting sickening smoke, in a desperate attempt to offload and pick up passengers.
Across the road, on Sanussi Fafanwa Street, a suya (meat) seller is seasoning raw chicken and goat meat with pepper, before arranging them shabbily on metallic trays ready to be grilled for revelers. Behind him, a row of restaurants and bars emerge from the poorly-lit and dilapidated road where Toyin (not real name) clad in a miniskirt, a crop top and knee-high boots paces seductively, flagging down drivers with the promise of an unforgettable night.
Toyin was only 15 years old when her family was persuaded by a neighbor to send her to her uncle in Europe, away from her poverty-stricken village in Nigeria’s Edo State.
“My mother gave her life savings of N350,000 ($970) to a middleman who promised to smuggle me through Libya to Italy to meet my uncle. I joined a bus of about 30 people and they transported us through the desert for days before we arrived in Libya,” recounts Toyin.
Then the nightmare began.
“In the middle of the night, two of the men came and took me along with two other girls into another room and took turns to rape us. Afterwards, they took us to a separate container and in the morning, we were sold to a brothel where I worked for two years as a prostitute. They raped us to break us down and prepare us for life as a prostitute and if you did not comply, they beat you and let you starve for days to teach you a lesson,” says Toyin.
After falling pregnant, she was sold again and eventually ended up at a detention center in Gharyan, a city in northwestern Libya.
Esta historia es de la edición March/May 2018 de Forbes Woman Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March/May 2018 de Forbes Woman Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Well-Grounded
Coco Cachalia, whose mother Amina was among the 20,000 in the Women’s March of August 1956, made a decision to stay away from politics – and succeed in business instead.
Art Becomes Her
A celebrated international fine artist, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi overcame the struggles of apartheid, and her work is grounded in her past.
'Not Just Pro-Women But Pro-Progress'
South Africa’s Minister of Women Susan Shabangu on the significance of the 61st anniversary of Women’s Day, and the role men can play in ending gender violence in South Africa and creating an equal society.
Diversity And Inclusion Are Part Of Baker Mckenzie's DNA
According to Law360’s 2017 Glass Ceiling Report, women make up around one-third of the attorneys in private legal practice. Among the law firms surveyed, just below 23% of partners are female.
We, Men For Women
South Africa still has a long way to go for gender justice in business and in life, but with more men openly stepping forward to be a part of the discourse, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA speaks to two male entrepreneurs, a CEO and a social activist. They acknowledge diversity makes smart social and economic sense that will benefit all.
What, After All, Does Feminism Have To Do With Men?
According to the seminal African-American writer bell hooks (her name is not capitalized), feminism is for everybody.
Blood, Setbacks And Tears
Two sisters with common failures and a dream to eventually succeed.
Fighting To The End
In May, 82 more Chibok girls were released in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners. Oby Ezekwesili, a strong advocate in the campaign to bring them back, has vowed to never stop fighting.
Not Just Hard Work, But Heart Work
As incidents of gender-based violence increase in Africa, those like Nigeria’s Kemi Dasilva-Ibru, are trying to bring relief to stigmatized victims.
Going Down The Spice Route
Essie Bartels worked several odd jobs she hated before opening a company selling mouth-watering spices and sentiments to the world.
