Victims Voices: Grace

Grace received assistance through the NGO 'African Centre for Advocacy and Human Development' in Nigeria

Grace grew up in a family of nine children in Edo State. After Grace finished secondary school, her uncle took her to Lagos, promising she could continue her education. Instead, her uncle and aunt put Grace to work in their beer parlour and made her wear revealing clothes. Customers often offered her money for sex, and Grace's aunt threatened to send her back to her village if she refused to accept. Her aunt collected the money, which she said was for Grace's education. "I slept with hundreds of men," Grace recalls, "and never got a dime from my aunty."

One day Grace heard a radio show about human trafficking. A staff member from the African Centre for Advocacy and Human Development encouraged anyone who needed help to contact the Centre. Grace realized she finally might have a way to escape her situation.

The Centre gave Grace shelter, counseling and a medical examination. It also sponsored her training as a seamstress, then gave her a sewing machine and helped her open a shop. Today, Grace has a bright future. Her dream is to save enough money to buy more sewing machines and hire additional workers to help meet the growing demand for her clothes.

The African Centre for Advocacy and Human Development helps victims and survivors of human trafficking in Nigeria to receive essential services to help them recover. It also provides them with vocational training and helps them start small businesses so that they can become financially self-sufficient.

Donate to the Victims Trust Fund today and directly help people like Grace. Visit www.unodc.org/humantraffickingfund to find out how.