FEMALE TRAFFICKING AS ORGANIZED CRIME IN NIGERIA- A STUDY OF PUBLIC PERCEPTION IN ONITSHA, ANAMBRA STATE
ABSTRACT
The study was aimed at finding the public perception of Onitsha inhabitants on female trafficking and organized crime in Nigeria. The major objective of the study was to look at female trafficking and organized crime in Onitsha, and suggest ways of reducing or eliminating the crime. The specific objectives included: to ascertain why Nigerians engage in female trafficking; to find out the organized criminal networks that facilitate female trafficking in Nigeria; to find out the links between trafficking in females and the links between trafficking in female and the entertainment and sex industry; to ascertain whether the victims of trafficking in Onitsha, knew the true nature of the jobs they would go into before accepting the offer, to find out how informed, the inhabitants of Onitsha were on female trafficking and to proffer useful suggestions on possible ways of curbing the problem of female trafficking. In order to achieve results, the study utilize two different instruments (i.e. Questionnaire and in-depth interview) to collect the needed data. The questionnaires were administered directly to the respondents by the researcher and her five field assistants, while the in-depth interviews were conducted on sixteen NAPTIP officials by the researcher. The findings of the research showed that; man inhabitants of Onitsha do not know what trafficking in females is. All the victims of trafficking under the NAPTIP shelter in Enugu Zonal officer were not aware of the crime of trafficking in females, prior to their victimization. Some of the victims of trafficking in females knew the type of job they would be going into abroad, before accepting the offer. That the quest to make money is the major motivating factor for traffickers. There is a positive relationship between poverty and female trafficking in Onitsha. There is a significant relationship between awareness and trafficking victimization. Females with lower level of education are not more likely to fall victims of female trafficking than those with higher level of education.