Refugee Status for Female Victims of Human Trafficking and Juju/Voodoo Practices in Nigeria
by Iulia Mirzac
Question(s) at stake
Whether, and to what extent, a female victim of trafficking returning to Nigeria is sufficiently protected against the risk of being re-trafficked and whether internal relocation is possible for her.
Outcome of the ruling
Women in Nigeria are generally not at real risk of being trafficked. Upon return to Nigeria, former Victims of Trafficking (VoT) are generally not at real risk of being re-trafficked. However, a detailed assessment of the circumstances of each particular case is required to assess whether a trafficked woman would be at risk of being re-trafficked upon return and if so, to establish whether internal relocation would be a reasonable alternative for her. In light of the country guidance, the Upper Tribunal held that because of her particular vulnerabilities, the appellant was at real risk of being re-trafficked upon return to Nigeria and that internal relocation would have been unduly harsh for her. Thus, the appeal was allowed and she was granted refugee status.
Country:
Official citation
HD (Trafficked Women) Nigeria CG [2016] UKUT 00454
Topic(s)
Keywords:
Grounds/Reasons of persecution Membership of a particular social group Real Risk of persecution Refugee status Trafficking
Tag(s):
Bibliographic information
Access case report
View case report in the CUREDI databaseAbout the authors
Iulia Mirzac (Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham)
Doctoral Candidate at the University of Birmingham carrying out ESRC-funded research on judicial interpretations of undefined concepts within the UK anti-trafficking framework in England and Wales. Teaching Associate on the 'Decolonising Legal Methods' module at Birmingham Law School. Research Consultant at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, providing legal commentaries of asylum decisions based on gender-based violence published under the Institute's CUREDI database.