What do you think of when you picture a 14-year-old girl? Perhaps you think of your daughter, visibly growing from a child into a woman, or maybe you remember putting on lip gloss in the school bathroom after lunch. You might think of that awkward time in life where you can still see childhood peeking through on the path to adulthood.
For young women in Edo State in Nigeria, being 14 years old means you are at the average age of becoming a victim of human trafficking.
Edo State in Nigeria is home to less than 2 percent of Nigeria’s population, but responsible for 50 percent of its sex trafficking. In fact, 94 percent of women who are trafficked to Europe from Nigeria are from Edo State.
Human trafficking is a 150 billion dollar industry, and the average age of trafficked women is just 14 years of age
The Emmanuel Osemota Foundation has three tiered strategy to combat human trafficking in Edo State.
Prevention
We believe that the fight against human trafficking starts long before a victim becomes a victim.
We are taking results-oriented steps to prevent women from becoming victims of trafficking. These initiatives include our efforts to keep girls in school as well as our malaria prevention program, which keeps families together and healthy, breaking the cycle of poverty and desperation that can lead women to becoming victims.
In addition to our initiatives fighting the social and health situations that perpetuate trafficking, the Emmanuel Osemota Foundation is taking intentional and strategic action to educate women who are the most vulnerable.
Our foundation identifies at-risk populations for human trafficking and hosts public engagements, including community roadshows, to spread awareness of the perils involved for such young girls.
Advocacy
Our foundation works with community leaders as well as local and state government officials to advocate for victims of trafficking.
We know that legislation and high levels of government is a powerful tool, so we build relationships with government officials in order to advocate for stronger laws and protections for victims. In addition to this, we work with local community leaders providing training and resources to advocate for women who are currently victims.
Some of the strongest and bravest women we have met are survivors of the evils of human trafficking.
Rehabilitation
We are proud to stand with them, showing them that their story is not over, but is just beginning. We strategically rehabilitate women through short term as well as long term care.
The Emmanuel Osemota Foundation starts by offering women accommodation and no-cost medical care to immediately provide them with a place to go.
From there, we provide survivors mentorship and trauma care to start them on a path to recovery. Finally, we launch survivors into a new and hopeful story by providing paid vocational training, preventing them from falling victim again and giving them a new life story.
Human trafficking will not have the last word in the lives of these women, and it is through your donation that we will make a difference in the lives of women.
Your donation will work in all three tiers of our strategy.
You can give a young girl a different future through preventing her from becoming a victim of trafficking.
You can advocate for victims through your donation, allowing us to provide training to local leaders. And your donation can rehabilitate a survivor, changing her life forever.
