Help for Nigerian women trafficked for sex to the United Arab Emirates

This website is hosted and operated in the United Kingdom and is intended as a resource for Nigerian women trafficked to Dubai to work in the sex industry.  This website is intended as a resource for victims and their families both in the UAE and also for their arrival back in Nigeria. We also tell the stories of the victims we have supported and our own journey into the vile trade in the sexual exploitation of Nigerian women. Stop Trafficking Africa was formerly known as the Send Them Home campaign and is based in the United Kingdom. Our sister NGO Hope Education project educates and raises awareness about human trafficking in Ghana.

Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which individuals perform commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.

The Nigerian sex trafficking network is vast and complex. Frequently victims are targeted by friends of friends and even their own family who then use false promises, violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, juju or other forms of control and manipulation to keep victims involved in the sex industry.

Sex trafficking exists worldwide within diverse and unique sets of venues and businesses including fake massage businesses, escort services, residential brothels, in public, on streets, hostess clubs, international hotels and elsewhere.

Stop Trafficking Africa (formerly the Send Them Home campaign) is recognized globally for its work in combatting human trafficking and has been featured by leading media outlets. The campaign’s efforts have been highlighted across platforms like BBC News, The Guardian, Reuters, The Economist, the ICIJ and many more. These media partners have brought attention to the impact of our work in rescuing and supporting victims of human trafficking. We are grateful for their role in amplifying our mission to protect vulnerable lives across Africa and beyond.

Sex Trafficking to the United Arab Emirates

West African women, particularly from Nigeria, are among the most vulnerable victims of sex trafficking in the UAE. They are often lured with promises of legitimate work, only to be forced into prostitution upon arrival in Dubai. Traffickers use extreme measures, including debt bondage, violence, and psychological manipulation, such as juju oaths, to control them. Many victims remain trapped due to the confiscation of passports, physical abuse, and threats of death or desert abandonment if they attempt to escape​​.

The Kafala system in the UAE, which binds migrant workers’ legal status to their employers, significantly affects victims of sex trafficking, particularly from West Africa. Traffickers exploit this system by confiscating passports and withholding consent for job changes, rendering victims powerless. African women, often deceived with promises of legitimate work, are forced into prostitution and debt bondage, with amounts typically between $10,000 to $15,000. Traffickers maintain control through violence, threats, and manipulation, trapping victims within this exploitative system​.

Despite the UAE’s anti-trafficking laws and its participation in international efforts, the US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report 2024 found significant gaps remain in addressing sex trafficking. The country’s authorities have been criticized for inadequate victim protection and failure to investigate trafficking crimes consistently. Reports indicate that traffickers exploit the Kafala system, using it to trap victims, while authorities often overlook indicators of trafficking, leading to a cycle of abuse and re-trafficking. Victims are frequently penalized for crimes committed under coercion, further complicating efforts to combat this issue​.

The Stop Human Trafficking Exhibition video

In November and December 2023, Stop Trafficking Africa held an immersive human trafficking exhibition in Soho, London.  Visitors were taken on an immersive journey, hearing real testimonies from survivors and activists about the complex issue of human trafficking, the tactics used by traffickers to coerce, entrap, and force victims into sex work, and crucially, what we can all do to help stamp out human trafficking for good. The exhibition was opened by Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi, Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria.

The centrepiece of the exhibition was a video featuring compelling testimony from survivors of sex trafficking to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The video, shot in London, Lagos Warri and Abuja, featured Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi, together with STA founder, Angus Thomas. With over 5m views across all formats, the video is now used in training and education programs around the world.