Female Indebtedness and Enslavement: A Study of Relationships and Trends in Nigeria

Indebtedness is described as a situation when one is owing an individual either money or any gratitude for services or help rendered. Enslavement on the other hand, connotes an organized and systematic procedure of exploiting an individual without his/her consent, either in terms of his person, time, energy or possession. This paper takes a look at indebtedness and enslavement in relation to sex slavery in Nigeria. It specifically address indebtedness in relation to modern day enslavement, and notes that over 70% of girls tricked into sex trade are victims of “smuggle and upkeep/maintenance indebtedness” to their masters. A survey of two cosmopolitan cities of Lagos and Abuja was carried out to find out the trend of indebtedness and enslavement among Nigerian girls in the two cities. This (i) examined the elements of indebtedness and slavery, (ii) assessed the trends and patterns of indebtedness and enslavement and (iii) evaluated the relationship between types of indebtedness and enslavement. Study findings revealed that respondents were variously indebted to their “masters” or “madams”, a situation that exposed them to different categories and patterns of enslavement. The ages, levels of education, religious affiliation, ethnicity and origin of respondents were found to have profound effects on their elements of indebtedness which invariably determined the patterns of their enslavement. Paper discusses the role of law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations in curbing the menace of general illiteracy, domestic and international migration, human trafficking and others. Recommendations for gender mainstreaming, re-positioning for capacity building and empowerment through functional education and realistic gender polices are made.