Police control find a Nigerian woman working as a prostitute in the outskirt of Turin
The plight of trafficked Nigerian women forced to work in the sex trade has been highlighted by Paris-based photographer Elena Perlino, originally from Italy. These Nigerian women are being trafficked to Italy under the pretence that they will be working as nannies or in factories – but often end up working the streets as prostitutes.
She began to notice the presence of young African women working on the streets during her commutes from Turin. She said:
‘I decided to start from this surreal vision to tell a story. I have been working on the topic for several years, focusing mainly on the Italian connection.’
Perlino reveals that many Nigerian women come to Italy hoping to make enough money from honest work as nannies or factory workers to support their families back home, but are tricked by traffickers into working in the sex trade. Arrests, violence and abuse often follow.
This photograph shows a Nigerian woman waiting for a client in the summer season
Traffickers demand on average more than 50,000 euros (US $60,000) for travel expenses and accommodation, with the women having to work as prostitutes until their debts are paid off. Eighty per cent of women trafficked to Italy come from Benin City, Edo State, in south Nigeria.
The photographer explained: ‘My work attempts to show a complex phenomenon that crosses Italy from North to South. ‘This involves many cities including Turin, Milan, Genoa, Rome, Naples and Palermo and thousands of Nigerian and Italian people.’
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime declared Nigeria among the top eight countries with the highest human trafficking rates in the world.
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