She said this might be God’s way of taking care of us. Family involvement in human trafficking

What is it about?

Substantial research has been done on the key role that family members play in both the regular and irregular migration journeys of their children and wards, and how their decisions, agreements and disagreements are often factored into the migration trajectory. A major aspect of family involvement that has not been properly explored, however, is how they may (wilfully or unknowingly) facilitate and aid the trafficking of their dependents. Solely from the perspectives of the trafficked dependents, this paper examines the role of family members in human trafficking. For this study, thirty-one unaccompanied minors and adults who were trafficked from Nigeria to Italy were interviewed several times over a period of two years. The data were thematically analysed while looking at various levels of family involvement’ and how the participants evaluated this role. We found that family members indeed play important, howbeit diverse roles across space and time, in the different stages of the trafficking process, echoing a relational approach of their geographies. This relational approach of their mobility patterns is also apparent in the strong and long-lasting connections of the participants with their families, despite their involvement in the trafficking, with loyalty expressed in various ways. We also address the impact of the family members’ involvement in human trafficking on the wellbeing of their trafficked children and wards, and on their migration experiences.

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