Wednesday, January 28, 2015

#‎Reportwomen‬ ‪#‎voicesofwomenintheruralcommunitiesmustbeheard‬

SOTHAWACA in conjunction with the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism on the project
‪#‎Reportwomen‬ ‪#‎voicesofwomenintheruralcommunitiesmustbeheard‬ began her 3-Day research tour around communities in Edo State.
Our Goal was to be able to get first information on the following:
• Child Abuse
• Violence against Women
• Commercial Sex Work (Prostitution)
• Human Trafficking
• Women's participation in politics
• Person's living with Disabilities

On the 1st night ~ 21st January, 2015, our task was to find a Commercial Sex Worker who would be willing to talk to us about the trade. After several attempts, a member from the Film crew negotiated and paid a 23 year old Commercial Sex Worker the sum of Five Thousand Naira (N5,000.00) just to be interviewed on her choice of profession.
According to her, she said that she was a single-mother with a 3 year daughter. She was her sole responsibility to cater for the well-being of that child. The father of the child denied paternity at birth and has not being there for her nor his daughter.
When asked if given another option what would she do? She said "aunty, I will stop this and start a business to send my daughter up to university."
Does she face any hazards on the job and would she want her daughter to emulate her? She reeled out loads of on the job hazards and said it was the worst kind of job befitting of any woman. She would not wish for her enemy to experience her predicaments much less her daughter.
Day 2 of our Research Tour:
Our first point of call was to a victim who found her way to Nigeria after been trafficked to Italy under the pretense of gaining employment as a Chef. Her story was so pathetic.
Her account "I was taken to visit the shrine where trafficked victims are made to swear oath of secrecy before being whisked to Italy. The rituals is compulsory and must be done. During the ritual process, hair from my pubic, armpit and head regions were shaved, nails and blood mixed together for me to drink. I hated swallowing concoction but I had no choice." The victim went further to show us her finger that was bitten by her"Madamme" for failing to earn money for the night in Italy. She's now deformed in those 2 fingers. She was proud to show us her petty business that she runs to take care of her 5 children. She regrets ever leaving the country considering the untold hardships she experienced while in search for greener pastures.

No comments:

Post a Comment