How Much For A Destiny?

I wished I was God, wished for that almighty power to make things right in an instant and to severely punish anyone who deserves it. Yes, one of the encounters you make and think, ‘there has to be someone to punish the evil men consciously mete out on others’. It’s not boko haram but a young 20 year old,  8-months pregnant girl who is so alone except for her ‘madam’ who brought her to Europe and to whom she owes 30 thousand euro after she had done some trekking from Africa, went through Spain (where the father of her soon- to- be- born baby is) and is currently in Italy to start paying her dues.

 I looked back and all I remember at 20 was being in the University, dreaming of a big bright future and being a dependent who had her parents and relatives to fall back on. But here is this young girl who is Nigerian, with a Ugandan name and documents, no Ugandan international  passport (I wonder how she is going to get that), with  no idea how complicated her life has become because of the forgeries, pregnant and sceptical about going to the hospital for a caesarean  procedure (because her baby refused to turn with his head down), speaks absolutely no Italian and has someone who has tied her down with a huge debt and fear for the oaths she took on her life back home!!!

I didn’t know where to start but one thing I kept telling her was to concentrate on staying alive by agreeing to the procedure,  convincing her the CS was not a bad thing and that here doctors are very qualified to take care of her. I made her call the hospital with my phone (she did not have call credit and was not allowed to, and had refused to take the calls from the hospital before we met), I spoke with them and interpreted for her, took down details of the information they had to pass on to her and made her promise she will go the day they asked her to come for delivery. I asked her to call me if she needed someone to talk to (she pleaded with me not to call her, obviously her madam will not be happy to hear she is making friends who might help her out of her bondage) and if madam won’t be at the hospital the day she will give birth. I asked her to let me call a free toll number I’ve seen on a notice at the city council for help in this kind of situation but she was so afraid her madam will be taken to the police and things will get out of hand at home for her family and for her personally because of the oath. I’m still contemplating on doing that because really it looks like interfering with someone’s life and at the same time like saving someone who doesn’t know her way back to a normal life. I preached, advised, warned her of the dangers of going into prostitution but she kept asking me what kind of work she can do without speaking the language and without having legal documents? I couldn’t answer that but kept begging her to let me call that line for help. I tried getting her to change her mind with stories I had seen on the news about prostitutes who were murdered but I could see I wasn’t getting anywhere.

I got home and couldn’t sleep well! How do you  make a debt of 30 thousand euro before getting to your destination if not that you think money grows on trees at your destination? Where were her parents?  In fact I was later made to understand that most times parents are privy to these kind of arrangements and consent to it, in fact sometimes they force their children to do it because they think Europe has all the answers. Thirty thousand euros for crying out loud! I personally processed my documents for joining my husband here in Italy and even while I complained  about how rigorous and expensive the process was, 3000 euro will be just about it (if not a bit exaggerated) if I take into account the transport fare I spent moving from the Enugu to Lagos and to Abuja on several occasions and the flight fare to Italy.

How do women, women who are responsible for bringing life, giving love and nurturing it turn out to be cruel slave merchants? These are people who have stayed here, who know how things work and still they go home to deceive the ignorant folks in order to make themselves richer at the detriment of another’s destiny. How much for a  conscience and how much does a destiny cost? The Bible tells it as it is, the love of money is the root of all evil...note- the love of money, not money in and of itself!

Presently, I am looking for a way to go beyond being someone that girl can talk to when she feels the need, I am hoping she will let me help her as much as I can without complicating her life further. I am seeking information, advise, whatsoever can help her. If you are reading this and you know what I can do, please leave a comment. It all started with her asking me if she has to take a number for her turn, and me asking what it is she came to the immigration office to do. I believe in going further than exchanging greetings if you feel it in your heart, to know if you have been sent to help the person sitting close to you. We all have this ‘I need to mind my business attitude’, but I know how much I have been helped by people who didn’t think that way. I want to return this favour, I want to keep contributing to changing this our world, one person at a time. You too can!