“I didn’t know what I was going to do in Mali, I didn’t know that I had been trafficked. I thought I would get a job on arrival there, but I had a horrible experience,” said Oyinlola Aaron, a returnee from Mali.
Integration of irregular migrants is increasingly becoming a major concern in global affairs with Nigeria also accounting for a huge number of women and girls who are embarking on this dangerous journey. A lot of them end up experiencing physical abuse, torture, rape, and enslavement. IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA and MOJISOLA ABATAN report a recent reintegration programme of female returnees.
Oyinlola is one of the thousands of girls trafficked for reasons they weren’t clear about and made to go through horrible experiences at the hands of their traffickers. “After returning from Mali, my mum referred me to the NGO that gave me this opportunity to come for this training. When I came back to Nigeria with nothing, today, I am a certified hairdresser.
Continuing she said, “On getting to her house, she showed me a toilet to stay in and asked me to pack my things in there, I cried and staged a protest to no avail. In the end, I realised there was no one to help me so I had to do what she dictated. So, I started to work there for six months, no salary, no good food. I fed from their bin, which was the leftover; she would not take the food to the table, but place it in the bin by herself, so, I would open the bin and eat from it.
Another returnee, Asimiyu Asiata based in Ibadan, said, “My experience was tough, it was not an easy one but I thank God for my life. I went to Egypt in 2016, I was working as a nanny, and we stayed indoors for 26 days and couldn’t go back to our apartment for a four-day holiday. The people I worked for were not accommodating. I cannot advise anybody to go there to make a living, if at all you want to leave Nigeria; I will advise you to go to a European or an Asian country.
Within the age bracket of 18-40, the 100 beneficiaries trained over eight weeks to learn catering and hotel management, fashion designing, and hairdressing. They had since graduated. One of the trainees, Temitope Oluwastosin, who learnt skills in makeup, “The training was free, I am grateful for this opportunity that WARDC has given to me, I used two months in learning and I can say for myself that I am perfect in it already. As a makeup artist, I will be given a free makeup box and other makeup kits.”
Oftentimes, Nigerians are denied asylum in Europe and told to return. Returnees experience mental health conditions, carry a double stigma, and struggle with prejudices of the general population, commonly by their family and community. Some become destitute and unable to access shelter as well as other basic services.
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