IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i5p4309-d1083304.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

It Happened in the Desert, in Libya and in Italy: Physical and Sexual Violence Experienced by Female Nigerian Victims of Trafficking in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah Adeyinka

    (Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Ine Lietaert

    (Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Ilse Derluyn

    (Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

Abstract

Nigerian girls and women constitute a large percentage of African victims of human trafficking in Italy. Extensive research has been conducted on the causes, push-and-pull factors, and the perpetrators in the phenomenon of trafficking Nigerian women and girls into Italy. However, limited data exist on the women and girls’ narratives of their experiences during their migratory journey from Nigeria to Europe. Using data collected through a mixed method, longitudinal design, 31 female Nigerian victims of trafficking in Italy were interviewed for this study. This study gives voice to the experiences of sexual violence that these women and girls encounter during transit, leading to many of them arriving in Italy severely traumatized. It also discusses the health impact of these experiences and the different survival strategies that they are forced to employ. The study shows how sexual and physical violence is employed by smugglers, traffickers, and people in authority alike. It shows that the violence experienced along the way does not end after arrival in the destination country (in this case, Italy), but is, in some cases, exacerbated and similar to previous experiences of violence.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Adeyinka & Ine Lietaert & Ilse Derluyn, 2023. "It Happened in the Desert, in Libya and in Italy: Physical and Sexual Violence Experienced by Female Nigerian Victims of Trafficking in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-17, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:5:p:4309-:d:1083304
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/5/4309/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/5/4309/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Giacomo Orsini & Marina Rota & Océane Uzureau & Malte Behrendt & Sarah Adeyinka & Ine Lietaert & Ilse Derluyn, 2022. "Loops of Violence(s) Within Europe’s Governance of Migration in Libya, Italy, Greece, and Belgium," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(2), pages 256-266.
    2. Lotte De Schrijver & Tom Vander Beken & Barbara Krahé & Ines Keygnaert, 2018. "Prevalence of Sexual Violence in Migrants, Applicants for International Protection, and Refugees in Europe: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis of the Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Adeyinka & Ine Lietaert & Ilse Derluyn, 2023. "The Role of Juju Rituals in Human Trafficking of Nigerians: A Tool of Enslavement, But Also Escape," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, November.
    2. Daniel Tuki, 2024. "Gender and migration aspirations in Nigeria: A comparative study of the states of Edo and Kaduna," HiCN Working Papers 408, Households in Conflict Network.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Océane Uzureau & Ine Lietaert & Daniel Senovilla Hernández & Ilse Derluyn, 2022. "Unaccompanied Adolescent Minors’ Experiences of Exception and Abandonment in the Ventimiglia Border Space," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(2), pages 267-278.
    2. Osnat Keidar & David S. Srivastava & Emmanouil Pikoulis & Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos, 2019. "Health of Refugees and Migrants—Where Do We Stand and What Directions Should We Take?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-8, April.
    3. Sarah Adeyinka & Ine Lietaert & Ilse Derluyn, 2023. "The Role of Juju Rituals in Human Trafficking of Nigerians: A Tool of Enslavement, But Also Escape," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, November.
    4. Alice Blukacz & Alejandra Carreño Calderon & Alexandra Obach & Báltica Cabieses & Jeniffer Peroncini & Alejandra Oliva, 2022. "Perceptions of Health Needs among Venezuelan Women Crossing the Border in Northern Chile during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-22, November.
    5. Artur Gruszczak & Roderick Parkes, 2022. "Re-Visioning Borders: Mobility, Connectivity, and Spaces of Exception," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(2), pages 235-238.
    6. Lotte De Schrijver & Anne Nobels & Jonathan Harb & Laurent Nisen & Kristien Roelens & Tom Vander Beken & Christophe Vandeviver & Ines Keygnaert, 2022. "Victimization of Applicants for International Protection Residing in Belgium: Sexual Violence and Help-Seeking Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-24, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:5:p:4309-:d:1083304. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.