What are the economic and emotional vulnerabilities of trafficked people?
Trafficked people suffer from economic vulnerabilities due to fictitious debt, which is further exacerbated by emotional vulnerabilities due to juju threats. Both types of vulnerabilities create a powerful cocktail of incentives for human traffickers to trap people in trafficking over the span of many years.
The Cycle Of 'Fictitious' Debt
The main goal of a trafficker is to exploit their victim in any way possible to make a profit. Traffickers during the cycle of trafficking will subject a young, intelligent, ambitious person to sophisticated forms of physical and psychological violence, which create a state of acute stress, hopelessness, shame, fear and total disempowerment. Trafficked people believe they have no choice but to submit and pay the fictitious debt they have accrued with the trafficker before leaving their country of origin.
JUJU and its influence on trafficked people in Denmark
Click here to learn more about JuJu and its impact on trafficking in Denmark.
The majority of Nigerian victims of trafficking seal their agreement with their Boss or Madame with a juju oath which binds them to silence obedience and the repayment of the fictitious debt. However, penalties are sometimes incurred on arrival in Europe if they do not agree to pay off fast.
Due to deeply embedded religious practices in West Africa, the Juju oath has a tremendous psychological effect. If oath takers divulge any information about the traffickers, are not obedient or do not pay their debts, they and their family members will be cursed with death or madness. It is essential to understand that classic mafia coercion methods are also used. HopeNow has worked with many cases where family members are dragged off to the shrine, beaten, or killed if the trafficked person does not pay their fictitious debt.
It's common for trafficked people to swear the Juju oath for the first time at the beginning of their journey. The oath-taking ceremony involves a variety of rituals, including making small incisions on the body with a razor and drinking the blood of an animal sacrifice.
Trapped in Debt
In men's case, fast debt payment can only be achieved by selling drugs. For women it is sextrafficking. Many trafficked people that HopeNow meet are in profound debt, trying to avoid criminal actions and consequently seeking low-paid jobs, e.g. picking up empty bottles. However, this slows down the repayment. However, if the trafficked person disobeys the trafficker, the trafficked person's family is threatened, and the victim himself is abused both physically and psychologically.
Read here about crime groups linked to the EIYE brotherhood, known for being one of the most influential confraternities in Nigeria. Read the European police case of people being trafficked by juju threats. It is one of the largest operations in Europe, involving 39 Nigerian trafficked women.