Nigerian Baby Farms Breed Slaves from Slaves

categories: Domestic Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking in Africa, Labor Trafficking and Trade, Sex Trafficking and Prostitution, Trafficking in Children, Trafficking in Women

Published July 21, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT

I wish this article were a joke, and that the term "baby farm" was an exaggeration for what is happening to teen girls and their children in Nigeria. It's not. Nigerian girls are being trafficked to breed children in factory farm-like conditions to then be harvested and sold. Both the teens and their children are victims of the baby harvesting industry.

Here's how the baby farm operation works. Poor teen girls are lured into traffickers' hands in many of the ways traffickers lure teen girls for sex- promises of jobs, money, love, or stability. But instead of simply enslaving these girls in a traditional brothel, the traffickers bring them to an illegal clinic where they are raped until they become pregnant. During the pregnancy, they are cared for medically. After they give birth, the babies are sold into slavery for anywhere between $2,500 and $3,800 and the girls are paid $170 for their baby and their "work".

These clinics operate like a factory farm- the seeds are sown via rape into the teen mothers. The babies are then allowed to germinate, are harvested, and are sold as a commodity. I have rarely in my years working with human trafficking systems seen a process so completely dehumanizing to all the people involved. The girls are treated not just as objects but as factories, and the babies are treated as a product. A disturbing addition to this already disturbing story is the fact that some of these children are adopted by well-meaning parents, who believe the clinic is a legitimate adoption agency. They see the payment as an adoption fee and don't realize their child was created via human trafficking and rape in order to turn a profit. Other children, however, are not sold to well-meaning parents at all. Some are sold into slavery.

Thus far, I don't know of any confirmed cases of baby farms outside of Nigeria where the teen mothers were trafficked into the situation. There have been reports of baby farms in other countries like India where the women were all supposedly participating of their own free will. But I cannot help but believe that where there is a profit to be had by the sale of human beings, there will be traffickers willing to do what it takes to make that profit. This is not a uniquely Nigerian crime- in fact, Nigeria has laws preventing the sale of children in the same way the U.S. and the UK and many other countries do.

The photo above is a little tongue-in-cheek, but the reality of these girls' experiences is bleak. The outlook for some of their children is no brighter.

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Comments (16)

Thats about the most disturbing thing Ive seen on this site. And that's saying something.

Posted by Slim Chance on 07/21/2009 @ 01:14PM PT
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It isn't too often that I'm at a complete loss for words, but that certainly did it. That's absolutely horrifying.

Posted by Jen Niebler on 07/22/2009 @ 02:00AM PT
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Wow, that's bad.

I'm a little confused about something. You can't sell children in the US, but you can pay someone to provide a surrogate womb?

Posted by Anemone Cerridwen on 07/22/2009 @ 08:31AM PT
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Yes. You can pay a woman who is willing to give birth to a child for you. This woman is artificially inseminated with sperm from the adoptive father or a donor, or a fertilized egg from the adoptive couple may be implanted. It is not unusual for the surrogate to be a friend or family member. The adoptive couple usually pays medical bills and often a living allowance. There is no rape. There is no coersion. The entire arrangement is legal and consentual.

Of course, there have been cases where the surrogate decides she cannot give up the child. The courts take usually her side, and she is not forced to surrender the child, although she may have to reimburse the adoptive parents for any costs they incurred.

Posted by Amanda Ellsworth on 07/24/2009 @ 10:33AM PT
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This is truly one of the worst things I have ever read or heard. How can this possibly happen? How can people do this to other human beings? It's horrible

Posted by Amanda Ellsworth on 07/24/2009 @ 10:28AM PT
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This sounds like the sort of stuff that used to happen to American black slaves in some Virginia plantations and probably elsewhere.

Posted by Mary Christine Erikson on 07/24/2009 @ 03:09PM PT
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What is being done about this and what can we do? This is a new low.

Posted by Romy Carver on 07/24/2009 @ 05:21PM PT
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Spread the word, spread the word and when you can spread the word.

Posted by Sarah Burnside on 07/25/2009 @ 12:50PM PT
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have you heard about the Run 4 the Rescue? Eric Proffitt is running 500 miles split between the U.S. and the U.K. to bring awareness to Human Trafficking and raise funding for organizations dedicated to helping victims.

Posted by Lizzie K on 07/26/2009 @ 07:50PM PT
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How can the human race be as evil as this? This is the worst thing I've heard since child soldiers...

Amanda, would you mind sharing your sources so I can do some more reading on this topic?

Posted by Michelle Bak on 07/29/2009 @ 12:14PM PT
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I'm with all of you on this. It's downright deplorable. But there's no action. I have trouble spreading the word on this one because it's such a downer. When an action comes up I'll do something.

Posted by Callie Williams on 07/30/2009 @ 05:05AM PT
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This is horrible. This is worse than prostitution and sex slavery combined.

Posted by Casey Williams on 07/30/2009 @ 10:27PM PT
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I will definitely spread the word. If anyone you know is thinking of adopting make sure they check out the legal background of the birth mother and the agency. That might help. We need an action, but what can we do? Its not like we can boycott or petition or storm Nigeria demanding poorly used teens! I have no idea what to do and it makes my heart hurt.

Posted by Alexa Weger on 08/01/2009 @ 11:23AM PT
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Sounds like the same "PLANTATION" system used in the UNITED STATES when Africans were used as SLAVES and BABY-MAKERS right here in our own county..Read your history My Dear, this is nothing new!!!!

The next time you're "people watching" take a good look at "fair-skinned" African-Americans...AB-RA KA-DAB-RA..

YOU DO THE MATH..!!!

Posted by leatrice brantley on 09/01/2009 @ 07:06AM PT
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This is so disgusting. The first line in the article took the words out of my mouth. I was hoping that this was a joke. More people should know about this!

Posted by Jackie Myers on 09/12/2009 @ 02:38AM PT
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Why would you use such a ridiculous photo and call it "tongue and cheek" when talking about something so hideous? Would you post a cartoon of a woman getting raped, etc.?

I appreciate your effort, but all I can picture is yu thinking about "how great" this photo will be accompanied by the article.

Posted by Orlanda Kleimenhagen on 11/06/2009 @ 03:37PM PT
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Author

Amanda has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. During that time, she has created reports, documentaries and training materials on human trafficking in the United States and around the world.