60% of prostitutes in Italy, Belgium are Nigerians-NAPTIP

60% of prostitutes in Italy, Belgium are Nigerians-NAPTIP
Latifat Afegbua, Abuja

Nigeria's National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other related matters, NAPTIP, has said that 60% of the prostitutes in Turin, Italy and Antwerp, Belgium are Nigerians.

The Executive Secretary of NAPTIP, Beatrice Jedy-Agba told an interactive session in Abuja on Tuesday that about five of these prostitutes die every quarter under inexplicable circumstances.

Mrs Jedy-Agba said a recent fact finding mission conducted by the agency confirmed the existence of many brothels in Mali, populated by young Nigerian victims of human trafficking, mostly young girls of between fourteen and seventeen years that were being used as sex slaves.

She noted that the girls were being used and dumped with all the proceeds from their activities handed over to an agent or trafficker.

According to her, an increased human trafficking activity has also been observed under the cover of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

She said in 2005, available information showed that more than one thousand Nigerians were deported from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for trafficking and other related offenses.

The chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri, in her response, said the committee would look into the matter and profer solutions.

As a first step, Committee members urged the Federal Government to adequately fund the agency in order to fight human trafficking.

Hajia Sani