GOVERNMENT of the United Kingdom has backed a campaign that is urging Nigerian women and girls to find jobs at home instead of “risking a life of modern slavery” in Britan.
According to a UK newspaper—the Independent, the government said the posters are to be placed in schools, churches and market places. This it said would attempt to reduce human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labour.
The campaign named as “Not for Sale” focuses on the aspirational stories of women who have established successful careers in Nigeria.
The Not for Sale campaign is supported by UK aid and involves the National Crime Agency and the UK’s Joint Border Task Force as well as Nigerian law enforcement.
Some of the stories of the victims of illegal migrants have been featured in the posters, television and radio posters. Single mother’s story, Gift Jonathan, was included. She narrated that she was raped and tortured while trying to get to Europe.
“Three years ago, I was a single mother with two children living with my widowed mother,” Gift said.
“Things were so hard that when my friend told me about traveling to Germany, guy I moved! We only made it to Libya. I was sold, raped and tortured. I saw many Nigerians die including my friend Iniobong.”
But when she made it back to Nigeria, Gift, encouraged and supported by a humanitarian group, registered with a vocational centre where she learnt baking
She expressed that she has been making enough money to take care of her family. “My boys will not grow up to be ashamed of their mother. My name is Gift Jonathan and I am not for sale.”
Nigeria records one of the highest figures for modern slavery in Africa. According to the Global Slavery Index (GSI) 2018, the population of the people in slavery in Nigeria was put at over 1.3 million. The figure is higher than the total number of all the other 16 West African countries when added together.
Many stranded Nigerians in Libya have been returning to their fatherland.
So far in 2019, Nigeria has received not less than 800 stranded returnees from Libya.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in March said over 12,000 people have returned from Libya under the Assisted Voluntary Returnees Programme, which began in April 2017.
