More than two thirds of Niger’s trafficking victims are women and girls
An IOM study finds trafficking in Niger affects significantly more women than men, the EU presents recommendations for an import/export ban on products made with forced labour, and UNODC uncovers the widespread exploitation of refugees in a Malawian camp.
Women and girls constitute 69 per cent of victims and survivors of trafficking in Niger according to a new study by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The report, the first of its kind in the country, highlights the profiles and patterns of victims of human trafficking.
Often referred to as a country at the crossroads of migration flows between west, central and north Africa, Niger is at the heart of complex and multifold forms of mobility as a country of origin, transit and destination. IOM has been active in Niger since 2006 to assist vulnerable populations – in particular, it plays a key role in the protection of VoT and the prevention of human trafficking both inside its transit centers and outside.
An IOM Perspective on Human Trafficking in Niger is based on IOM’s experience working with national authorities in their fight against trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, as well as through direct assistance to victims of trafficking in various transit centers and the country’s only government-run shelter. Between 2017 and 2021, 666 victims of trafficking were supported, with victims mainly registered in Zinder, Agadez, Arlit, Dirkou, and the region of Niamey.
The data collected shows that individual forms of trafficking are also gendered. The victims of the most pervasive forms of exploitation, i.e. sexual exploitation, forced prostitution and intended sexual exploitation, were 99.9 per cent women and girls. Exploitation for domestic labour and intended domestic labour also predominantly affect women and girls (77 per cent). Labour exploitation, forced labour and intended labour exploitation, on the other hand, affect more men and boys (58 per cent) – although the gap is not wide.
Interviews also uncovered different degrees of vulnerability to trafficking for women and men, as well as different ways in which female and male victims fall into the trafficking trap. Women and girls usually fall victims to trafficking right at the beginning of their migratory journey, betrayed by traffickers who give the impression of trying to help a family in need, and who contact relatives or most often the victims directly.
The majority of families of victims live in very difficult situations, and providing food for every member is a huge financial burden. Therefore, many girls and women leave to earn money to send back home to provide for their siblings and their own children. However, upon return, stigmatization of victims (for instance, for having been exploited sexually) can happen at the community and family level, according to the accounts of caseworkers, and is particularly common in the case of pregnancy following rape and/or sexual exploitation. This type of pressure weighs very heavily on victims, who are usually deeply traumatized by what they have endured.
Throughout the interviews, the need for awareness work to be strengthened was highlighted, not only in transit and destination countries, but also in countries of origin, where vulnerable populations should be informed of what trafficking is, what leads to these scenarios, and the consequences that can occur, says the report. At the national level, trafficking remains in focus, but a large proportion of the population have little knowledge of it.
Further recommendations and subjects for discussion mentioned in the report include: greater funding for the expansion of holistic solutions which disincentivize unsafe migration; the possible adaptation of an integrated multidisciplinary Trafficking in Persons agency for Niger, which would bring together under one institution elements from the police, prosecution, immigration, social welfare and protection authorities; and greater investment in the provision of direct assistance such as government-run shelters and emergency assistance/reception capacity in key border posts.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
On Thursday, the EU parliament presented recommendations that products made or transported by people forced to work should be excluded from the internal market through a WTO-compatible import and export ban. Next, it should introduce strong proposals for an EU ban on forced labour products, observers say. Separately, a new report by Corporate Europe Observatory discusses how business lobbyists have used the EU Commission’s scrutiny procedures to weaken human rights and environmental legislation.
“Alternative Anti-Trafficking Action Plan: A Proposed Model Based on a Labor Approach to Trafficking”, an extensive policy paper co-authored by TraffLab scholars, will launch on 27 June, 3pm-6pm (BST), as part of the Beyond Criminalization: Expanding the Anti Trafficking Policy Tool Kit event. The event will open with a keynote by the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking, Siobhán Mullally, followed by a roundtable discussion. The Plan aims to offer an alternative vision of how to address human trafficking in Israel, given the limitations of the dominant approach to addressing the structural causes of severe forms of labour exploitation.
The humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine is rapidly turning into a human trafficking one, in which women and children, who make up the majority of the refugees fleeing the war, are being exploited, according to the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten. She said there was an urgent need for a “coordinated regional approach” to what she described as “a crisis within a crisis”.
The WeProtect Global Alliance Summit 2022 took place earlier this month, with more than 400 delegates from government, civil society and technology companies meeting in the Belgian capital to discuss how best to combat online child abuse, and up to 600 joining online. All the summit announcements and summaries of sessions are available via the website.
The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration has tightened the screening of Filipinos traveling to Japan, in order to curb human trafficking, and has been directed to carefully scrutinize the travel documents of departing Filipinos with intra-company transferee, short-term visitor, student, and engineer/specialist in humanities/international services visas. The order came in the wake of reports that unscrupulous recruiters were using these visas to circumvent government rules on the documentation and deployment of Filipino workers traveling to Japan.
The widespread exploitation of men, women, and children at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi has been uncovered by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Malawian Police Service. According to UNODC, women and girls are exploited sexually inside Dzaleka, elsewhere in Malawi, or transported for the purpose of sexual exploitation to other countries in Southern Africa. Male refugees are subjected to forced labour inside the camp or on farms in Malawi and other countries in the region.
Stop the Traffik is seeking an experienced Data Analyst to join its “Aman Safety” team, a project which aims to keep refugees and asylum seekers safe from trafficking as they travel to countries such as Greece and Turkey.
Love146 is seeking a mission-driven and experienced Senior Grants Manager to manage all aspects of the organization’s government and foundation grants portfolio. The position is full-time and remote.
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