According to reports, the Brigade De Gendarmerie De Keur Massar successfully dismantled the Nigerian prostitution ring operating on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, following a tip-off.
The couple, identified as J. Godwin and his concubine B.G., reportedly transported and supervised young Nigerian women, forcing them into prostitution to repay travel expenses.
The commando operation led to the arrest of the Nigerian couple and the rescue of several young women forced into prostitution.
Pulse Senegal reported that six (6) Nigerians, including the couple, have been transferred to the prosecutor's office for human trafficking, pimping, and other charges.
J. Godwin and his concubine B.G., both of Nigerian nationality, settled in Keur-Massar. There, they brought young girls directly from Nigeria to whom they paid the ticket and promised well-paid work as soon as they arrived in Senegal.
Naive, the young women, often from poor families, unknowingly accepted the offer to be exploited and were forced to engage in prostitution to reimburse the plane ticket and thus buy back their "freedom".
A spokesperson for the Brigade De Gendarmerie De Keur Massar explained that the commando operation on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, began when individuals dressed in civilian clothes, with their weapons well concealed at the small of their back, knocked on the door of the apartment.
The lucrative business for J. J. Godwin and his concubine unfortunately came to an abrupt halt after the couple unsuspectingly opened the door for the officers to burst into the apartment where they discovered three young girls locked in a room with a large batch of condoms within reach.
In Senegal, human trafficking is prohibited under the 2005 Law to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Related Practices and to Protect Victims. the penalties for human trafficking include imprisonment. Offenders, if found guilty, can face five to ten years in prison.
Between 2003 and 2023, 42 per cent of the sex trafficking victims in West Africa were minors between 0-17 years, according to a recent report on Statista. The report noted that child sex trafficking in the western region of the continent was still among the highest in the world and female sex trafficking accounted for 63 per cent of all victims.
Unfortunately, despite multiple efforts, the conviction rate for trafficking remains low in the region.
Comments