FROM NIGERIA TO EUROPE: THE PHENOMENON OF TRAFFICKING AND ITS INTERNATIONAL REGULATION

Abstract

The concept of slavery is usually viewed as a problem connected to a past period of time, both in terms of distance and way of thinking. In a modern society built on individual rights and liberties like the European one, it may sound ridiculous to talk about it, yet this problem is real and far more widespread than one may imagine. Thousands of people are daily subjected to inhuman and degrading practices including forced labour, prostitution, and unlawful cross-border trafficking. These victims are the result of a massive, increasingly rooted and organized market. In light of this, the thesis will analyse the phenomenon of trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation focusing on the State of Nigeria and at the same time it will focus on the evolution of the International and European legislation concerning trafficking. In addition, some cases that the European Court of Human Rights has examined in recent years will be discussed.