Half of trafficked women are Nigerian

NIGERIAN women accounted for half of all trafficking victims who sought help for the first time last year, according to the national group assisting those caught up in prostitution.

Ruhama engaged in casework with 140 women in 2010 of whom 80 had been trafficked into Ireland or sought refuge here after being smuggled to another country in Europe.

This meant the agency dealt with more women from Nigeria (51) than any other country, including Ireland (31). Ruhama said 96% of the Nigerian women were the victims of trafficking and a quarter interacted with Ruhama for the first time in 2010.