Human trafficking is the third most popular crime in Africa, after drug trafficking and economic crimes.
Of the more than 40million victims of modern slavery in the world, Africa holds 9.2 million. A $150bn dollar dark industry, sex trafficking is the most common form of human trafficking on the continent. Globally, sex trafficking is a $100bn business with Africans the highest victims of the practise.
Child labour and marriages are also other types of human trafficking with a high presence in Africa.
This sordid trade that has left many Africans ruined and wrecked was this week’s focus on Village Square Africa on News Central TV and strong revelations were made by experts.
Solomon Okoduwa, an axpert on migration of human trafficking victims in Africa and one who has seen the situation first hand made a number of revelations about the enablers of the dark trade.
Okoduwa noted young girls trafficked from Edo state are taken through the Sahara Desert to Libya where they face hardship before eventually getting to European countries like Spain and Italy.
He said security agents, who are aware of this trade receive N2,000 (less than $4) on each victim and allow the vehicles that convey them easier access to the borders.
Okoduwa said the EU which invests in North African countries on stopping the trade should come and help improve the quality of life of people in Sub-Saharan Africa which is the source of the trade.
He said the North African countries (Morocco and Libya especially) don’t do enough for victims of trafficking as they are made to face difficult times.
Temitope Olodo, a Security Expert based in the UK also weighed in on the issue and said security agents in Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan countries have critical roles to play in helping to put a stop to the dark trade.
He called for improvement on the social security of Nigerians, in order for more people to be discouraged about making such moves.
Like human trafficking, organ trafficking was also discussed with the World Health Organisation (WHO) rating it a $1bn business.
Many Africans have their organs harvested and are never rewarded for it or are given peanuts and pennies to spend the rest of their lives.
At least 7,000 kidneys are sold on the black every year with a number coming from Africa, mostly war and human trafficking victims.