Human Trafficking and Tales of “Backway” Returnees in the Gambia

Abstract

Human trafficking is a phenomenon that has become a global security threat with spiralling impacts on national lives and economies. The Gambia, in particular, is fast becoming the hub of internal and international human trafficking in the West African axis. Aside from the increasing consequences of human trafficking such as sexual tourism, child trafficking, and braindrain, the country is today known for the notorious ‘backway‘, which is an irregular migration route to Europe and other parts of the world. As some victims of human trafficking are subjected to all forms of abuses, many Gambian youths in search of greener pastures are willing irregular migrants through the backway. Efforts to curb this menace have been in form of border diplomacy (bilateral and multilateral), border surveillance, policy initiatives, and local campaigns aimed at ending the trend. Despite these interventions, irregular cross-border migration through the backway continues to pose serious challenges to the Gambia. Therefore, this study adopted a qualitative research design using primary and secondary sources of data to determine the factors responsible for human trafficking in the Gambia and the travails of backway returnees. Using pre-set standardized interview questions and Focused Group Discussion (FGD), thirty (30) backway returnees from three (3) administrative regions across the country were interviewed. The study also examined the consequences of human trafficking in the Gambia and preferred solutions to irregular intercontinental cross-border migration. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made to policy makers on ways to curb human trafficking and reintegrate or resettle the backway returnees into local communities.