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In 2007, 23-year-old Cheryl was working in a hospital in southernNigeria. A patient s brother told her that she could make moremoney in a European hospital if she went with him. Upon arriving inItaly, she quickly learned that she had been tricked into sex work. "It was very dangerous. The first day I went in the night, threemen attacked me," she says. "When they said they want to sleep withme, three of them at a time, I said no, I cannot allow thethree of you ... at [one] time. They brought out money, I said no. We were arguing and arguing and arguing; we got to a pointthat the three of them started beating me. They beat memercilessly. It was the other girls on the other side of the roadwho came and helped me out." Nigerian women and girls have been trafficked to Italy for sex worksince the 1980s, but now the United Nations estimates that 8,000 to10,000 are forced into the country's street prostitution each year,making them the largest national group trafficked for the Italiansex trade. According to Vittoria Luda di Cortemiglia, a program coordinatorwith the U.N. Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute,Nigerian traffickers prefer Italy because of existing networks. "Many Nigerian nationals actually are living in the country, sothis is also the reason why the contacts of the two countries arestill very, very strong," she says. Oaths Sworn by Black Magic Nigerian trafficking is unique due to the use of juju, or blackmagic, in cementing the agreement between victim and trafficker.Before leaving Nigeria, the girls often go through a ritual inwhich they swear to reimburse "sponsors," with interest, for thetrip. Helen, for example, was 23 years old and working as an artist whenshe agreed to go to Europe. "They cut my [finger]nails, the hair in my armpit, my hair, and thepad I use for my menstruation, with my blood," she says, describingthe ritual. "They took it from me and they [then] killed this fowl-- [and said] I need to eat the heart of the fowl, raw, to swear. Like the other trafficked Nigerians, once Helen discovered herfate, the traffickers threatened to harm her family in Africa ifshe broke the oath. Many young Nigerian women and girls believe so strongly in jujuthey are too terrified to attempt to escape. Mostly uneducated,they have no understanding of exchange rates or interest rates, andthey end up promising repayments of $40,000 to $78,000. One prostitute says her madam, or pimp, demanded repayments of1,000 euro [$1,300] within 10 days. With sexual transactions ratedas low as $13, many trafficked prostitutes must have sex with atleast 10 men per day to meet the quota. Rosanna Paradiso, president of TAMPEP, an internationalanti-trafficking organization based in Turin, says one of thegroup s main objectives is to help sex workers protect themselvesfrom HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases. "Regarding all clients -- especially Italians, in this case -- theytold us that most of them ask for sex intercourse without condom,without protection," says Paradiso. "And this is the big problem." For some, such as Cheryl, who now works in a factory near Turin andhas made a better life for herself, there is hope. "Prostitution is not the best," she says. "It s a life with pain,with tears inside. If I have the privilege to tell other people whowork in the street to leave, I will do so, because I understand it,and I know what it means.". The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Wool Tufted Carpet Manufacturer , Contemporary Area Rug, and more. For more , please visit Machine Tufted Carpet today!
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