EDO STATE, NIGERIA. We are proud to have just concluded another business training for sex trafficking survivors, spearheaded by one of our entrepreneur experts, Mr. Mene Blessing, in Benin City, Edo State (Nigeria). At Pathfinders, we utilize an interdisciplinary approach which incorporates both a human rights and an economic development methodology as part of the […]
26 Nigerian Girls Found Dead on Migrant Boat
SALERNO, ITALY. Prosecutors in Italy have investigated the death of 26 Nigerian women, most of whom were teenagers between the ages of 14-18, who were found dead at sea on or about November 3, 2017. Their bodies were recovered, along with 375 other migrants (most of whom were from sub-Saharan Africa), by the Spanish warship, […]
Pathfinders’ R. Evon Idahosa named a Vital Voices GFE Fellow!
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA- We are proud to announce that our Founder and Executive Director, R. Evon Idahosa, has been named a 2017 Vital Voices Global Freedom Exchange (GFE) Fellow! Vital Voices Global Partnership grew out of the U.S. Government’s Vital Voices Democracy Initiative, which was established by former U.S. First Lady and Secretary of State, […]
From Victims to Survivors to Business Owners: PJI Survivors Launch New Businesses
EDO STATE, NIGERIA. We are so proud to announce the launch of additional small businesses (in catering, clothing sales, bath and body products and fashion design) for some of our survivors in Benin City, Edo State, an internationally recognized sex trafficking hub. These young women were trafficked from Benin City to Russia, where they sustained […]
New Report Provides Comprehensive Estimates of Human Trafficking Worldwide
NEW YORK, USA- A new report by International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Walk Free Foundation reveals that approximately 40.3 million people are trapped in modern slavery worldwide (previous estimates were 45.8 million). Four categories of modern slavery are identified in the report: forced labour, forced marriage, forced sexual exploitation and […]
PJI Welcomes the M. Night Shyamalan Foundation to Nigeria!
EDO STATE, NIGERIA- August 9-10, 2017. PJI was honored to welcome the M. Night Shyamalan Foundation on its first ever visit to Nigeria! The visit brought the team to Lagos and then to Benin City, Edo State, where they were able to meet with a group of our survivors and hear their stories of survival […]
UK Government Pledges Additional Funding to Fight Modern Slavery in Nigeria
LAGOS, NIGERIA- The International Development Secretary for the United Kingdom (U.K.), Priti Patel, announced that an additional £7 million will be made available to support the efforts to combat modern slavery and human trafficking in Nigeria. Ms. Patel called for “a world free from the abhorrent trade of modern slavery” during a trip to Lagos […]
PJI Provides Vocational Skills Training for Widowed IDPs
BENIN CITY, NIGERIA- August 10, 2017. Via our Hearts of Hope Project, which provides support to survivors of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, and in partnership with CWFI Skills Acquisition Centre, PJI provided our quarterly vocational skills training to 50 widows at the ICCF Missions Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Benin City. (The […]
PJI Continues Collaboration with NAPTIP (Benin Zonal Command)
BENIN CITY, NIGERIA- August 11, 2017. PJI paid a courtesy visit to NAPTIP (Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons) Benin Zonal Command to congratulate newly installed Zonal Commander, Barrister Nduka Nwanwene, on his recent appointment as Zonal Commander of NAPTIP’s busiest zonal command. Barrister Nwanwene reiterated NAPTIP’s willingness to continue to […]
I Believe In Stretching Tight Shoes.
Growing up as a young child in Nigeria, my mother would often have us trace our growing feet on pieces of paper just before she was traveling to the United States or to England. Once she arrived, she would awkwardly take the drawings of our feet to a shoe store and use them to estimate […]