Ayodele Ale

By Ayodele Ale

Some years back, during our transit through Istanbul, I had thought that a female co-traveler was a Muslim by virtue of her dressing. But I was shocked when the lady, an Edo girl told me she was merely using that as a decoy to be able to pass through Kabul (Afghanistan) without hassles to Italy, her final destination.
I met two Edo girls yester night, one was obviously under aged.

They were being moved through Kuala Lumpur. The under aged girl told me she was going to Malaysia to study ‘Science. ‘Which branch of ‘science’? She was blank. Obviously, they were not related, but they said their ‘auntie’ was coming to pick them at the airport! My instinct as a journalist tells me they were victims of the deadly human trafficking trade.

It is a basic fact. The traffickers are smarter than the government. They are desperate and deadly. Trafficking is their life. It does not matter the curses placed on them by their traditional rulers, they do not give a damn. As a matter of fact, some of the girls also know what they are going for.

There is the need for the government to do more. Some of the victims of human trafficking regret later. I interviewed them in Italy and published their stories in the past.

Apart from public enlightenment, there is the need to create a conducive environment at home. Only better alternatives can bail our girls out of their predicaments.