Italy: Recognition of refugee status to a victim of human trafficking from Edo State, Nigeria

Date: 
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

On 6 November 2019, the Tribunal of Rome ruled on the recognition of the refugee status to a woman victim of human trafficking because of the well-founded risk of re-victimization in case of return to the country of origin.

The applicant decided to leave Nigeria after the killing of one of her sons and her husband by a rival cult in Benin City. After she was put in contact with a woman who promised to help her to reach Europe and find a good job in exchange for a large sum of money. In Libya, the applicant was harassed multiple times and forced to prostitution. Once in Italy, the applicant received multiple threats as she refused to cross the border to France as promised. 

The Tribunal found the story of the applicant consistent with the situation reported by EASO on human trafficking in Edo State. The judge highlighted that even if the trafficking experience was currently over, the risk of persecution and re-victimization in case of return to Nigeria was well-founded in light of the applicant’s gender and origin. For these reasons, the Tribunal recognised the refugee status of the applicant.
 
Thank you to Francesca Zalambani, Legal Assistant at ECRE, for assisting us with the summary. Based on an unofficial translation by the EWLU team.

 

This item was reproduced with the permission of ECRE from the ELENA Weekly Legal Update. The purpose of these updates is to inform asylum lawyers and legal organizations supporting asylum seekers and refugees of recent developments in the field of asylum law. Please note that the information provided is taken from publicly available information on the internet. Every reasonable effort is made to make the content accurate and up to date at the time each item is pusexblished but no responsibility for its accuracy and correctness, or for any consequences of relying on it, is assumed by ECRE.

 
Keywords: 
Refugee Status
Return
Trafficking in human beings