Nigerian women working as domestic servants in Iraq are being exploited in various ways, including sexual harassment, according to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The agency has received numerous pleas from female victims for rescue and repatriation back to Nigeria.
NAPTIP Director-General, Fatima Waziri-Azi, raised concerns about the plight of these young Nigerian women while speaking on new destinations for human trafficking across the globe. She explained that rogue labour recruiters are massive players in the recruitment of Nigerians for domestic servitude in Iraq, and the victims are being distributed to various homes by their recruitment agents, where they are forced to work long hours under harsh conditions.
Many of these victims have complained of deteriorating health due to the weight of work and have been admitted to hospitals multiple times. They are also constantly under threat of harm either by their direct employers or the Iraqi agents, each time they complained of unbearable workload.
The victims are denied access to their phones, which are seized immediately they are paired with an employer. They are never allowed out of the premises where they are serving and cannot give details of their location because they do not know where they are.
Besides, these women are constantly being sexually harassed by members of the household where they are serving, further aggravating their situation.
The NAPTIP Director-General stressed the need for people to evaluate every job offer carefully and seek second and third opinions before accepting offers outside the country. She advised Nigerians to be cautious about the desperate quest to travel out of Nigeria for greener pastures, which is the reason so many fall prey to traffickers and the lies of labour recruiters who promise juicy jobs overseas.
The agency is currently investigating several rogue labour recruiters and will continue to work with relevant Ministries, Department and Agencies in Nigeria and partners to ensure the safe return of the victims from Iraq.
