Rita’s story – Thrown to the Wolves (Part 3)

Description

Rita was living in the streets in Nigeria when she was approached by a woman who promised to help her. She said she had a supermarket in Europe and asked if Rita would like to go there to work for her. Rita thought that would be the opportunity of her life. The woman told her that before departing, she must swear an oath to ensure that she would pay back the travel costs. When they had started the journey through Niger and Libya, the woman’s attitude changed. She was not friendly anymore and she did not intervene when Rita was abused by men on the road. She was beaten and raped and felt completely helpless. She saw much cruelty and people dying. After one month of travelling she reached the coast and got on a boat to Italy. The traffickers sent a man to take her out of the reception centre and she arrived in Florence, where she expected to start her job in the supermarket. Instead she found herself in a brothel. She was told she had to prostitute herself to pay back the debt to the traffickers. She had to stay in the brothel and was not allowed to leave the house. After three months she managed to escape and is now in an asylum in Germany but the brothel Madam is still calling her, harassing her and demanding money. Telling the Real Story is an information campaign to raise awareness about the dangers involved in using the smuggling route, including through Libya. The campaign is targeting people in different countries who are planning to undertake this dangerous journey. The TRS campaign also aims at providing information on complementary pathways as alternative and regular opportunities to irregular movement (i.e. scholarships, family reunification, labor mobility).

Metadata

Published to Youtube on: 13/01/2020

Archived on: 30/09/2025

Original URL (may no longer be available): https://youtube.com/watch?v=kQLWcn5Ow70