TheCable

A documentary by BBC Eye Africa has revealed how African women are trafficked to India and forced into sex to satisfy the demands of African men living in that country.

The 13-minute video documentary revealed the processes involved in the illegal trade from when the ladies are picked up from their countries to when they are traded off to their “madams” in India.

Born out of the need to investigate the trend where young Kenyan women seek male sponsors to fund their lifestyle, the BBC met a Kenyan lady identified as Grace who was a victim of the illegal trade.

Grace, who identified herself as a dancer, singer, and musician, said her journey into the world of sex trafficking started when she saw a WhatsApp post for dancers and hostesses who are interested in working in India.

She said she went for the job because she heard “the money was good”.

But when she arrived in New Delhi, Grace begins to realise that she was trapped in a nightmare where she had to pay a “debt” of 270,000 rupees before she could regain her freedom.

She joined other women to solicit in local pick up bars called “kitchen”, which are illegal clubs set up to cater for many African men who live and work in New Delhi.

“I want to become very famous and have a good life. What matters most is my baby’s future; I don’t want her to go through what I went through,” Grace said.

“The first day I went there, I saw so many people.

“What you do is you sit down and then a man has to come and choose. He has to come and pick you like the way you go to the market and pick potatoes. He has to come and say ‘I like this one’, this is the one I am going with.”

“This is how the network grows, women pay off their debt and now hoping to make something for themselves, start operating as madams.

“There is a woman who brought you to India is your India mum; the one that brought her is your Indian grandmother while the ones she brings along with you are your sisters.”