Empowerment and Reintegration: Survivors' Perceptions of Human Trafficking Rehabilitation Programs in Nigeria

Rehabilitation services are often aimed at facilitating the recovery, empowerment, and reintegration of human trafficking survivors after their exploitative ordeal. However, only limited efforts have so far been directed at ascertaining the extent to which these rehabilitation programs fulfill their mandate. Using survivors perceptions and experiences, this thesis assesses the extent to which the Nigerian government and civil societys rehabilitation programs facilitate or undermine the empowerment and reintegration of female survivors of human trafficking. Drawing on qualitative data gathered over the course of 4 months in Nigeria, I show that the government and civil societys collaborative efforts at rehabilitation simultaneously aid and hinder the empowerment and reintegration of survivors in Nigeria due to their conceptualization of human trafficking and the wider socio-economic structure of the Nigerian state. I conclude by considering the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for human trafficking rehabilitation in developing countries.