Beyond Borders, Beyond Protection: A Gendered Analysis of Nigerian Women in Transnational Trafficking Networks

Abstract

Human trafficking is a pervasive form of transnational organized crime that disproportionately targets women and constitutes a critical threat to human security. This article examines the trafficking of Nigerian women to Europe for sexual exploitation through a gender studies and human security perspective. Using qualitative library-based research, this study analyzes secondary data from academic literature, international organization reports, policy documents, and institutional publications. The findings reveal that trafficking networks are highly organized and transnational, relying on gendered economic marginalization, restrictive migration regimes, and patriarchal power structures. Control mechanisms extend beyond physical coercion to include debt bondage and spiritual manipulation through juju rituals, reinforcing women’s subordination and dependence. The study demonstrates that trafficking produces layered and long-term insecurities, physical, psychological, social, and economic, hat persist even after women exit exploitative conditions. By foregrounding women’s lived experiences and structural inequalities, this article argues that state-centric and criminal justice approaches remain insufficient. Effective responses must adopt a gender-sensitive, human-centered framework that addresses both the root causes of trafficking and the challenges of post-trafficking recovery and reintegration.