NAPTIP Declare Nigerian Women Are Sexually Harassed, Exploited In Iraq
Young Nigerian women are being exploited as housemaids in Iraq, according to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The majority of the young Nigerian women working in Iraq, according to the organization, are being sexually harassed and are now asking for help to leave the country.
When discussing new locations for human trafficking around the world, NAPTIP Director-General Fatima Waziri-Azi raised the alarm.
Waziri-Azi claimed that the organization is looking into a number of rogue labor recruiters who have been implicated in the widespread recruitment of Nigerians to Iraq for labor as domestic servants, according to a statement by NAPTIP spokesperson Adekoye Vincent.
“Traffickers have turned their attention to Iraq because of NAPTIP’s proactive activities and cooperation in raising perception about issues of human trafficking to some of the known target countries,” she said.
We get numerous requests for rescue and repatriation from women who have been trafficked into Iraq, particularly in the cities of Baghdad and Basra, where their recruiters have placed them in a harsh life of domestic servitude.
According to the information that is currently available, many of these victims have repeatedly been admitted to hospitals as a result of the demanding schedules and challenging working circumstances they are required to endure. The majority of them have complained of health problems brought on by the stress of their profession.
Each time they grumbled of an intolerable workload, they were constantly in danger from either their direct employers or the Iraqi agents.
“Many of them don’t have access to their phones since they are confiscated as soon as they are linked with an employer, so many of them. They are never permitted to leave the facility where they work, and even when contact is made in an effort to save them, they are unable to provide precise position information because they are unable to pinpoint their exact location. It is a very scary situation, no doubt.
They are continuously being sexually harassed by members of the family where they are working, which exacerbates their plight in addition to the strain their taskmasters have placed on them.
It is crucial to exercise caution about this frantic desire to leave Nigeria in search of “greener pastures,” which accounts for the fact that so many people fall victim to human traffickers and the deception of labor recruiters who make enticing job offers abroad.
However, she emphasized the need for people to carefully consider each offer and get a second and third opinion before accepting offers from abroad.
“Remember, if a sponsor facilitates your travel, you will be forced to do any job to pay off your sponsor before you earn money for yourself,” Prof. Waziri-Azi continued.
She expressed concern over the growing number of young Nigerian women suffering in Iraq and promised that NAPTIP will keep working with the appropriate Nigerian Ministries, Departments, and Agencies as well as partners to secure the victims’ safe return.
