The manipulation of African traditional beliefs to traffic and enslave women and girls for sexual purposes is a common practice in Nigerian sex-trafficking networks based in Europe. Indeed, ritual oaths and voodoo rituals constitute one of the main strengths of these Nigerian rings.
The aim is to explore the role of voodoo in sex-trafficking circles and its effect on child victims; examining the legal consequences of this abuse as well as some approaches and strategies to protect girls who have undergone these oaths and voodoo rituals in Nigerian sex-trafficking networks.
Dr. Ana Dols García works as a human rights specialist in different African countries. She became passionate about the legal aspects of witchcraft beliefs, especially on how European countries are dealing with African witchcraft manifestations present in Europe.
Ana was recently awarded a PhD in Criminal Law at the University of Extremadura (Spain), based on her research on crimes linked to African witchcraft belief with a special focus on voodoo and sex trafficking.
She has also facilitated training sessions for police, law enforcement officers and NGOs on Voodoo and Nigerian Sex Trafficking and has many publications on that topic.
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Proteknôn is derived from two Greek words: "in front of" and "child". As our name implies, we are senior child protection researchers and practitioners, focused on what children are facing, especially as it relates to their care, protection and wellbeing. In order to do this, we are committed to learning from and with girls and boys, of all ages, backgrounds and capacities.
For more information: www.proteknon.org
