Nigerian found guilty in sex trafficking and voodoo case
Prostitution is a regulated trade in Switzerland, but trafficking, forcing people into prostitution and most forms of pimping are illegal
Keystone
A court has sentenced a Nigerian woman to three years in jail and deportation from Switzerland for trafficking several Nigerian women and enslaving them as sex workers using juju magic threats.
On Thursday, the Lausanne Correctional Court found the 36-year-old Nigerian woman guilty of human trafficking, money laundering and violating Swiss foreigners’ law. She was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay fine of CHF1,800 ($1,812). The court ruled she should be deported from Switzerland after completing her sentence and banned from returning for a period of eight years.
The woman was a sex worker herself and was known to clients as Christina. She was found guilty of recruiting four girls aged 16 to 18 from the same village in Nigeria with the help of her brother. The girls were lured with promises of studying opportunities and cleaning jobs.
However, before they left for Europe, they were kidnapped and held at her brother’s house and forced to undergo a threatening ritual “juju” ceremony. The voodoo practice involves casting a spell on Nigerian women who are headed north with the goal of frightening them to settle their debts.
The defendant, who has worked as a prostitute between Bern and Biel since 2012, was staying illegally in Switzerland. She paid for the women to be sent from Nigeria to the Italian city of Milan with the help of Nigerian intermediaries.
The four recruits crossed the Mediterranean on a boat with 150 other people. Christina then took them by train from Milan to Lausanne in 2016. The women were forced to work as prostitutes and hand over their earnings to reimburse the cost of their journey to Switzerland from Nigeria.
One of the victims told the court that Christina had asked her to repay CHF35,000 and threatened her that the “juju” would be invoked against her if she fled or contacted the police.
“She and her brothers told me that if I didn’t do what they said they would kill me with the juju,” the Nigerian victim, now aged 20, told the court on Tuesday.
The defendant denied the charges. She said the thousands of francs sent back to Nigeria and used to build a house for her brother was money she had earned herself as a prostitute.
Prostitution is a regulated trade in Switzerland, but trafficking, forcing people into prostitution and most forms of pimping are illegal. Sex trafficking cases rarely come to court in Switzerland.
More
More
In Europe, Nigerian prostitutes are held captive by ‘black magic’
This content was published on
Switzerland is playing host to a mysterious trend in which Nigerian migrants, convinced they are bewitched, are enslaved as prostitutes.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Switzerland wants to examine cooperation with the EU in the defence sector
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to examine a security and defence partnership with the EU. Exploratory talks are to begin as soon as possible. Among other things, the partnership would be used for defence procurement.
Swiss trial shows organic farming is 85% as productive as conventional agriculture
This content was published on
This is shown by the results of a globally unique open-air trial that has been running for 47 years in Therwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.
Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water
This content was published on
Nestlé has been fined CHF 500,000 in the canton of Vaud for the unauthorised use of activated carbon filters in the production of mineral water. The filters were used to produce Henniez water from 2008 to 2022.
Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
Only those whose life and limb are at risk in Ukraine and who flee to Switzerland are to be granted S status in future. The remaining Ukrainian refugees should apply for asylum. This is what the Federal Council is proposing.
This content was published on
The Fribourg parliament approved a sum of CHF6.4 million to renovate the ramparts, the walkway and the towers, as well as to replace the exterior lighting.
Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years
This content was published on
For the first time in three years, the number of advertisements for rental accommodation is on the rise, but this does not dampen demand, quite the contrary. In Ticino, the average duration of an advertisement published on the main portals is 30 days.
Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates
This content was published on
Progress in child immunisation has stalled. For decades, the number of children vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases has risen. But since 2010, vaccination rates have stagnated in many countries, according to a study.
In Europe, Nigerian prostitutes are held captive by ‘black magic’
This content was published on
Switzerland is playing host to a mysterious trend in which Nigerian migrants, convinced they are bewitched, are enslaved as prostitutes.
Thai woman jailed for running human trafficking ring
This content was published on
A Swiss court has sentenced a 58-year old Thai woman to more than ten years in jail in one of the biggest human trafficking cases in the country.
‘Switzerland has made progress in combating human trafficking’
This content was published on
More and more victims of human trafficking are being discovered in Switzerland according to the latest statistics from the Zurich-based Centre for Advocacy and Support for Migrant Women and Victims of Trafficking (FIZ). But such figures are approximate at best because many victims don’t dare to speak up. The organisation ACT212 set up its nationwide…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.