A recent video highlighting the story of an Ivorian girl who claimed to be sold to a Tunisian family for a sum of money through a Nigerian broker went viral on Facebook in Tunisia.
In the video, the Ivorian lady confirmed that she was sold to a Tunisian family for two thousand dinars ($ 660) to work as an unpaid housekeeper.
In her testimony, the Ivorian confirmed that she had come to Tunisia legally, but had been sold later to a Tunisian family without her knowledge, believing that she had to work and get money until her legal status is resolved before travelling to Europe.
The lady, called Jeanne d'Arc, discovered the truth when the family told her that she would not pay her because she had already paid the broker in advance.
"I used to do all the work in that house, to find out later that I was a victim of trafficking in 2,000 dinars," says Jeanne d'Arc. "It's only because I'm black-skinned that no one has the right to sell me … The Tunisian government ignores this rights in Tunisia despite the efforts deployed by the civil society “.
In the same context, the President of the National Authority to Combat Trafficking in Persons pointed out that Jeanne d'Arc is requesting a residency card in Tunisia and exempting her from paying the consular fees, noting that this exemption is associated with her voluntary return to her country.
The spokeswoman added that the matter is taken into consideration by the Ministry of Interior, explaining that there is a suspicion of human trafficking and the laws will be applied in this incident.
Indeed, Rawdha Abidi considered that no party can force this Ivorian woman to leave because she is still the subject of a case, stressing that Tunisia is required to offer her the accommodation and health treatment.
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