Two people have been jailed for human trafficking in southern Sweden in a case where ‘juju’ was used to force women into prostitution.
The pair lured two women from Nigeria to Malmö with the promise of a job, but eventually pushed them into prostitution with the aid of ‘juju’ – a witchcraft-like religion from West Africa that has been hijacked by some human traffickers in order to blackmail victims.
According to the court document, the victims swore religious oaths before leaving Nigeria, promising to pay back the traffickers for providing passage to Sweden and jobs in the Nordic nation which never materialized.
Instead, they were pushed into prostitution in order to repay their debts.
One of the perpetrators, who was also found guilty of money laundering, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. His counterpart was sentenced to three and a half years in prison followed by deportation from Sweden upon completion of the term.
Three men who provided witness testimonies in the case were found guilty of purchasing sex and were fined.
This piece was first published by The Local, a swedish newspaper.
