HRW warns of sex trafficking in Africa

DAKAR, Senegal, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Nigerian and Ivory Coast officials must act vigilantly to combat the growing number of women trafficked for prostitution, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Right Watch said it uncovered five brothels of Nigerian women and girls who were working as prostitutes after being ensnared in debt bondage in two small towns in central Ivory Coast.

The rights group said women interviewed in July all said they were forced into debt bondage after being promised apprenticeships for possible work in West Africa or Europe.

When they arrived from Nigeria to the Ivory Coast, their traffickers forced them into prostitution in order to pay off a transportation debt of around $3,500. Human Rights Watch said the cost of traveling from Nigeria to the Ivory Coast is around $200, however.

Several of the Nigerian women told Human Rights Watch they were unable to pay off their debt despite having sex with as many as 30 men a night, with some working for as long as six years. The women, the rights group said, were typically paid around $10 for an evening's work.

"The Ivorian and Nigerian authorities need to find and prosecute the perpetrators, work with regional neighbors to shut down their operations, and do more to protect the victims." said Corinne Dufka, a researcher on West Africa researcher for Human Rights Watch.