TakingITGlobal - Panorama - Trafficking of Women

Published on: Dec 11, 2003

Topic:

Type: Opinions

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=2543

Women’s trafficking is the transportation of women for selfish and unfair sexual and economic purposes through manipulation, power and violence. Each year, millions of women are tricked and coerced into such situations from which there is almost no escape. Trafficking, according to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, is the new slave trade. The rise in economic hardships in most developing and transitional countries combined with the difficulty of legal migration has contributed to the increase in cases of trafficking. Also, as a result of the low risks involved in trafficking, many are involved in it. In a lot of countries, there are no laws banning such acts and this makes it easy for the people to get involved.

Trafficking involves movement of people from poorer countries to wealthier ones. For instance, African women in general, and Nigerians in particular are transported by illegal means to Western Europe. Asian women are also being transported to Northern America. The Niger delta area of Nigeria is a typical example of a community that is being extremely plagued. Young girls are taken abroad at times with the consent of their parents after they have been promised they will be returned.

Poverty is a distinct cause of this societal ill. Women are tricked simply by being promised greener pastures in the form of employment or marriage opportunities. Financial pressures darken people’s mentality and make them susceptible to deceit. Hence, working abroad appeals to women as a means of escaping their financial and economic problems.

Apart from poverty, several other factors contribute to the sustenance of this vice. The prospects of opportunity in new and unfamiliar territory, especially in developed nations where “milk and honey” supposedly flow, may appeal to some.

Illiteracy and a lack of understanding, on the other hand, play a major role in ensuring the continuity of this act. In some parts of Nigeria, for example, female children are not considered eligible to the basic right of education; rather, they are seen merely as sex symbols--toys and playthings for the amusement of the men folk.

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by Tolulope Adeniyi
Published on: Dec 11, 2003
Topic:
Type: Opinions
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=2543


Women’s trafficking is the transportation of women for selfish and unfair sexual and economic purposes through manipulation, power and violence. Each year, millions of women are tricked and coerced into such situations from which there is almost no escape. Trafficking, according to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, is the new slave trade. The rise in economic hardships in most developing and transitional countries combined with the difficulty of legal migration has contributed to the increase in cases of trafficking. Also, as a result of the low risks involved in trafficking, many are involved in it. In a lot of countries, there are no laws banning such acts and this makes it easy for the people to get involved. Trafficking involves movement of people from poorer countries to wealthier ones. For instance, African women in general, and Nigerians in particular are transported by illegal means to Western Europe. Asian women are also being transported to Northern America. The Niger delta area of Nigeria is a typical example of a community that is being extremely plagued. Young girls are taken abroad at times with the consent of their parents after they have been promised they will be returned. Poverty is a distinct cause of this societal ill. Women are tricked simply by being promised greener pastures in the form of employment or marriage opportunities. Financial pressures darken people’s mentality and make them susceptible to deceit. Hence, working abroad appeals to women as a means of escaping their financial and economic problems. Apart from poverty, several other factors contribute to the sustenance of this vice. The prospects of opportunity in new and unfamiliar territory, especially in developed nations where “milk and honey” supposedly flow, may appeal to some. Illiteracy and a lack of understanding, on the other hand, play a major role in ensuring the continuity of this act. In some parts of Nigeria, for example, female children are not considered eligible to the basic right of education; rather, they are seen merely as sex symbols--toys and playthings for the amusement of the men folk. « return.