Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Nigerian Prostitutes in Italy Reveal How Their Dreams of Freedom Turned To Nightmares

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MANDATORY CREDIT: Elena Perlino/Rex Features. IMAGES OUTSIDE OF PRINT VERSION NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS. FEES APPLY FOR UNIQUE IPAD USE. Only for use in story about Elena Perlino's work. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Elena Perlino/REX (3870599as) Turin 2012. Police control find a Nigerian woman working as a prostitute in the outskirt of Turin. Photo Series Highlights The Issue Of Human Sex Trafficking from Nigeria to Italy The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime declared Nigeria among the top eight countries with the highest human trafficking rates in the world.  In her long-term project Pipeline Paris-based Elena Perlino delves into the shocking reality, concentrating specifically on women trafficked to Italy from Nigeria.  The 42-year-old photographer who is originally from Italy, began to notice the presence of young African women working on the streets when she would commute from Turin.  I decided to start from this surreal vision to tell a story. I have been working on
Police control find a Nigerian woman working as a prostitute in the outskirt of Turin

The plight of trafficked Nigerian women forced to work in the sex trade has been highlighted by Paris-based photographer Elena Perlino, originally from Italy.

These Nigerian women are being trafficked to Italy under the pretence that they will be working as nannies or in factories – but often end up working the streets as prostitutes.

She began to notice the presence of young African women working on the streets during her commutes from Turin. She said:

'I decided to start from this surreal vision to tell a story. I have been working on the topic for several years, focusing mainly on the Italian connection.'