AEGiS-AFROL: 10, 000 girls to be repatriated to Nigeria

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

10, 000 girls to be repatriated to Nigeria

afrol News - June 26, 2009

More than 10, 000 Nigerian girls held captive as sex slaves in Morocco and Libya are to be repatriated, the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora has revealed in a statement.

The girls reportedly from Edo State, the southern part of the country, aged between 13 and 17, had been held captive by sex slave traders, the statement said.

According to the Committee statement, it is currently working with relevant authorities and Non-Governmental Organisations to ensure the safe return of the young girls.

The committee said it would further stage an aggressive campaign to educate parents and girls on the dangers of prostitution, especially for young girls in remote areas. "We are going to be working with you and the committee will try to tackle this matter. We are going to sensitise people in the states," the statement said.

The local NGOs have also expressed concern on the situation of young girls saying a number of them were taken as sex slaves from Nigeria en route to Europe before they were trapped in Morocco and Libya.

Some of the girls are reportedly pregnant and infected with various diseases including HIV/AIDS and had been sent to jail in the two countries while others are now at the mercy of their slave masters according to reports.

The Libyan and Moroccan authorities are reportedly fed up with the presence of the girls, putting them in jail time and again. The girls are also living at a high risk as they could be eliminated or subjected to different inhuman treatment by the host nations according to reports.

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