Survivor's Perceptions of Human Trafficking Rehabilitation Programs in Nigeria: Empowerment or Disempowerment?

While disagreements about the value of rehabilitation programs persist, these programs are still largely seen as essential for the protection of the human rights of survivors of human trafficking, and the facilitation of their recovery and empowerment after trafficking. Consequently, it is not surpr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of human trafficking 2022-04, Vol.8 (2), p.211-229
Main Authors: Okoli, Nnenna, Idemudia, Uwafiokun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agency
empowerment
Human trafficking
Nigeria
rehabilitation
survivors
victim protection
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Summary:While disagreements about the value of rehabilitation programs persist, these programs are still largely seen as essential for the protection of the human rights of survivors of human trafficking, and the facilitation of their recovery and empowerment after trafficking. Consequently, it is not surprising that rehabilitation programs are a core component of the Nigerian government's anti-trafficking policies. However, only limited efforts have so far been directed at ascertaining the extent to which these rehabilitation programs result in the empowerment of survivors in Nigeria. To address this gap, this paper explores the extent to which survivors' perceptions and experiences in the rehabilitation programs reflect the ideals of empowerment. Drawing on qualitative data, we show that the government's conceptualization of human trafficking influences their collaborative rehabilitation efforts, and that such efforts seem to simultaneously empower and disempower survivors.The paper concludes by considering the policy implications in the African context.
ISSN:2332-2705
2332-2713
DOI:10.1080/23322705.2020.1777382