Women Strike Back
International Conference
on Sexual Violence
Hosted by SKOTTUR
an umbrella organisation for 20 Women’s Organisations
Háskólabíó by Hagatorg
25 - 26 October 2010
Reykjavik, ICELAND
Gender Violence in Africa
Prostitution and Trafficking
in Select African Countries
Esohe Aghatise
Associazione Iroko Onlus
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
(CATW International)
Gender and Violence in the African
Context: Nigeria as a Case Study
Gender structures
in Nigeria
► Gender Roles
and Structures
► Marriage, Family,
social interactions
and kin relations
in Nigeria:

-Polygamy and Family
Life
-Women’s Role in the
Family
- The Girl Child in
Nigeria
► Culture as Violence
-Female genital
Mutilation
-Widowhood Practices
Violence Against Women
-
-
Influence of Colonialism
Polygamy
Traditional Norms and Practices
The Role of the Church
Witchcraft
Prostitution and Trafficking
Prostitution and Trafficking
in Nigeria




Traditional Attitude to Prostitution
Traditional Norms and Practices which
encourage prostitution and Trafficking
Modern attitudes to prostitution and
Trafficking
Geographical distribution of trafficking in
Nigeria
Trafficking of Nigerian Women
for Sexual Exploitation
► Victim Recruitment Process
► Voodoo practices and departure for
Europe
► Trafficking of Nigerian women and
girls to Europe for Sexual Exploitation
Voodoo and Trafficking in
persons 1
The voodoo culture in Nigeria
 The importance of voodoo in the trafficking
process
 Impact of voodoo practices on victims
► Psychological impact
► Physical, mental and emotional impact

Voodoo and Trafficking in
persons 2


Voodoo as a hindrance to victim
protection and ‘restitution’
Voodoo as a hindrance to the arrest
and prosecution of traffickers
Addressing Voodoo in the
Assistance and Treatment of
Victims
Cultural information and education of victims
► Traffickers and voodoo practises
►“Erhinmwin bu’eku” – response of traditional
doctors and voodoo practitioners to use of
‘juju’ in trafficking
► Assisting victims to overcome and handle
voodoo
► Cultural Mediation and Ethnopsychiatry in
Victim Assistance

Addressing the problem
of trafficking in Persons





Policies to contrast Trafficking in persons
US TIP Reports and its Impact
Destination Countries’ Policies on
Trafficking in Persons
Italian Article 18 and its Impact on
trafficking in Persons
Nigerian National Agency for the
Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons
(NAPTIP)
Additional Measures to Combat
Trafficking: The need to network in
Fighting Trafficking in Persons




Importance of Collaboration between
Countries of Origin, Transit Countries and
Countries of Destination
Why Networking is important
Levels of networks and examples: Social,
Geographical and Political Networks
Impact of networking on Traficking
Trafficking for Sexual
Exploitation

a.
b.
c.

Conclusion :
Prerequisites for the elimination of trafficking
in persons include:
Addressing the demand for paid sexual
services
Addressing the economic and financial
imbalances in the global economy
Addressing gender issues and working for real
gender equality
Questions and Answers
Associazione Iroko Onlus
Iroko is a multi-cultural
NGO, providing services
to victims of human
trafficking, domestic
violence and their
children. Iroko is an
affiliate of the Coalition
against Trafficking in
Women and fully shares
its policies.
Associazione Iroko Onlus
Over the last decade IROKO
has assisted a growing
number of victims of human
trafficking, most of whom
have also been subjected to
domestic violence.
Coalition Against
Trafficking in Women
(CATW)
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women is an
international NGO, with consultative status to the
UN’s ECOSOC.
Since 1988, the Coalition has worked against
human trafficking as a form of gender violence and
as a severe violations of human rights.