Omosede*, 35 years old, from Nigeria

Around Easter in 2007, a friend told me about a lady recruiting young women to work for her as a prostitute in Dubai. At this time of my life my family and I were financially struggling a lot. We were barely surviving - we did not have enough food. I had no option but to leave Nigeria to try and get a better opportunity somewhere else.

When I met the recruiter, she said we would need to work to make the amount of 80,000 euros and then we would then be free to do whatever we wanted. I did not know how much that was and I really thought by leaving I would make money easily that I could send back home.

We were taken to a native doctor specialising in black magic and we swore an oath not to disclose any information to the police in Dubai, to be fully committed to the sponsor. If we did not respect our engagement we would face misfortune in life, like disease or even death. I believed this and so I was committed to respect my engagement.

In July 2007 we travelled to Dubai to meet the sponsor. The sponsor owned a beauty salon in Dubai. She lived in an apartment with 2 kids and 8 young women who were working for her, including me. The day after I arrived, the sponsor told me and the other girls to go out to the clubs and work. The other girls advised us who to go home with and who to avoid. We had to write down all of our ‘work’ in a notebook and collect the money to give to the sponsor.

Some men took advantage of me, some were violent. I was afraid for my life - I was always in fear that one of them would kill me. In Dubai there were a lot of stories of girls who had been murdered by men.

From then, every day without exception was the same. I was forced to work at the trafficker's salon from 8am until 6pm, without pay. I would then get ready and go to the clubs from 9 or 10pm and work until 2am when the club closed. I was extremely exhausted.

The sponsor felt that I was not bringing enough money and would beat me. She was extremely angry and violent. When she did not feel like beating me, she forced me to stay outside all night when it was extremely hot. She had my passport and I was still extremely afraid that something would happen to me after the promises I made to the native doctor. I was extremely scared of the sponsor and to this day I hear her voice and the threats she made to me.

Due to the financial struggles, the sponsor moved us to Ajman, where the work was extremely dangerous. In Ajman, a lot of the girls I was with were taken to the desert and raped. As a result they were really badly injured but they couldn't go to the hospital because of their visa situation.

Since my arrival in UAE, the sponsor kept bringing Nigerian girls to work for her, particularly from Edo state. As before, she was really physically and verbally abusive towards anyone who would not bring money back after a night of work.

Sometime in 2014, we relocated to Al Ain as there was more work there. I only stayed in Al Ain for a few months because while I was there I learnt that my mother was getting sick. After weeks of asking, the sponsor eventually allowed me to go back to Nigeria. I promised her I would come back and keep working for her.

When I arrived in Nigeria my mother was sick, and I had to buy medicine but did not have any money. My uncles and aunties refused to help when they learnt I had been in the UAE. They were ashamed of me and stopped coming to the house to help me take care of my mother.

In the summer of 2016, the sponsor came back to Nigeria. She contacted me several times and I told her I lost my mother. She harassed me and tried to convince me to go back to Dubai but I refused. My mother was dead and I had no incentive to go back and work. I felt my life was already a misfortune.

I have nightmares, and feel sad and anxious. I keep reliving the past and what happened to me. I have a lot of hatred in my heart and feel unwell when I think about it.

I would like to build my life here in the UK as it’s a safe place for myself and my daughter. Being a single mother in Nigeria without family support, it would be impossible for me to raise my daughter and I would end up living in the street. I would face a lot of discrimination for being single with a baby. I am also extremely scared the sponsor or her recruiter would try to make me pay for leaving, or force me to work for them again.

A few months later, Omosede received refugee status. This signified a new chapter in life and ensured safety for herself and her daughter.

That day I got refugee status was the happiest day of my life. I really wasn't expecting the news that morning. You know, I was just so stressed out. When the solicitor’s call came in it was like a dream. I just started crying tears of joy. The result just came in the twinkle of an eye. I was surprised, I was shocked, I was happy, I was crying. I did not really know what to do; for one week it was like a shock. After one week I was still asking myself, is this true? All I can say is, from that moment my whole life changed. I can’t forget it, something I cannot forget in my life.

For my daughter, I have hope that her future is secure. My life, you know, I don't have anything to be afraid of. This whole thing has given me a lot of hope that the future is bright.

*All names have been changed to protect participants.


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