Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking |
No fewer than 200 Nigerian
girls are trafficked every month to Russia for
prostitution, the Nigeria’s ambassador to Russia, Asam Asam, has said.
Mr. Asam, who spoke against
the backdrop of consular challenges faced by the embassy, disclosed this in an
interview with the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria in Berlin.
An investigation revealed that
the crime has declined in Western Europe following strict laws on illegal
migration, and joint efforts by Nigeria and the governments of those countries
to curb the menace.
However, attention has shifted
to Eastern Europe as the new destination for the trade.
“The major consular challenge
we face in Moscow is the influx of trafficked persons from Nigeria, not less
than 200 girls are trafficked every month, and we have so many of them exposed
to danger.
“Some are thrown out of the
window and treated harshly, there must be a way of stopping these racketeering;
these girls are not tourists, students or government officials yet they are
given visas from the Russian embassy in Abuja.
“So far we have deported over
240 girls since 2012. You will be shocked at the extent of resistance from the
girls; we tell them Russia is not a destination for prostitutes, yet they still
come,” Mr. Asam said.
He said the mission tries to
curb the menace by arranging deportation exercise for those caught, but the
challenges are enormous.
The envoy said such
intervention would be more effective at the point of entry, saying “the strategy
is to stop them from Nigeria, and fish out those involved in the trade.”
“For instance a well known
Russian human trafficker who has been in the trade for about 20 years was
caught in Nigeria.
“The National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons(
NAPTIP) was on the verge of releasing her before I filed a protest from Moscow
to the Comptroller General of Immigration,” Mr. Asama stressed.
He said even the parents of
those trafficked encourage their children
“I spoke to the mother of one
of the girls and she said her daughter should remain in Moscow and try to
survive the ordeal, this is very sad indeed coming from one’s parent,” he said.
He tasked the media on
sensitising the public on the dangers of trafficking in Russia, saying “this
East European nation has become a new destination for them, and believe me it
is a very big crime here.’’
Mr. Asam, however, said that
other Nigerians who reside in that country were students, and professionals in
various fields.
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