A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

A Woman's Issue

Many Nigerian feminists look on trafficking as an example of a new generation of violations specifically aimed at women. But they also admit that it poses a dilemma for those who campaign for women's rights.


Even the strongest critics of trafficking agree that most of the girls-perhaps as many as 70%-go to Europe go of their own free will and are well aware of the consequences. Some feminists feel that these women should be free to choose, even if they choose a degrading profession like prostitution.

In the other corner, a growing number of Nigerian women's groups argue that the risk to society from trafficking is so great that the personal wishes of the girls must take second place behind the overriding need to stamp the trade. Besides, they say, choosing to enter forced prostitution is hardly exercising one's right to chose.

For Berta empowerment meant escape from trafficking.

"If our women were empowered,they would not let themselves be trafficked," argued Jane Edeki of AWEG.

Jane and others argue that trafficking has become a mortal danger to the next generation of Nigerian women, because of the high incidence of HIV-AIDS infection among those who are deported back to Nigeria. It is, says Jane, "far more dangerous that female genital mutilation. Edo State is facing a catastrophe."

Other activists are concerned that this could go too far and result in a rush to outlaw prostitution. This would result in new form of coercion, directed against women.

Part of the problem is that current laws in Nigeria on prostitution are ambiguous. The 1904 Criminal Code, which operates in the south of the country (including Edo State) prohibits the trafficking of women and makes it an offence to live off the earnings of prostitution. But this provision only applies to male offenders and so excludes the Madams and female pimps. Added to this, the laws are rarely enforced.

This may now change. Mrs. Eki Igbemidion, the Governor's wife, is leading an effort to get a tough new law drafted that would make prostitution a criminal offense and also punish recruiters, traffickers, and pimps. But the bill never made it past the first reading after being rejected by the traditional chiefs of Benin City. Most likely, too many of the chiefs were making money from prostitution. Some powerful women-also involved-were even reported to have invoked curses against the bill's sponsors.

This sort of opposition is about grubby self-interest, not the woman's right to choose. As a result, it has stiffened the resolve of the governor's wife and also forced many activists to swallow their reservations.

Grace Osakue, a renowned feminist who coordinates the Nigerian branch of the International Reproductive Rights Research Action Group (IRRRAG) and is known as a defender of women's rights. Nonetheless she called for tougher penalties against prostitution in a recent interview.