Report details human trafficking in Benue State amid ongoing conflicts
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Human trafficking networks are targeting displaced families in Benue State, Nigeria, by leveraging the economic vulnerability caused by persistent local conflicts. Multiple teenagers, including Joy Tervershima, Chivirter, and Kashimana, were recruited through false promises of employment and subsequently transported to locations such as Libya and Benin City. In the case of Joy Tervershima, who was 15 at the time of her disappearance in Zaki Biam, she was trafficked into sexual exploitation, while other victims were pressured to recruit additional girls into the network for monetary payment. The failure of security checkpoints to intercept these movements, despite the girls traveling for multiple days, facilitated the success of these operations.
Consequences
The exploitation of displaced youth threatens to further destabilize families already suffering from the loss of homes and livelihoods due to regional violence. Ongoing recruitment efforts and the continued use of financial incentives to draw more victims into these networks suggest that without increased security and oversight, trafficking will remain a persistent threat to vulnerable populations in Benue State.
Sources
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