A young Nigerian returnee stood by a generator at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shelter in Lagos, wearing a white tracksuit and rubber slippers, and in a low voice recounted being trafficked to Libya at age 17.
The 24-year old, who requested anonymity, was among the 182 returnees who had voluntarily submitted themselves to IOM for evacuation from Libya following a series of hardship, uncertainty, and exploitation in the Arab nation.
She was trafficked to Libya in 2019, lured by promises of work and a better life. Her mother’s friend, who facilitated the trip, told her she would work briefly to pay a “sponsor” before gaining freedom to pursue any job or business of her choice.
Narrating her experience, she recalled that she had just finished her secondary school education, but extreme poverty informed her decision to go through the desert of Libya in 2019 to seek fortune elsewhere.
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