Why Nigerian women wey born for Italy face risk of losing dia child to adoption or di goment

One hot afternoon for di main city of Italian island of Sicily, one Nigerian mother dey hang out wit her two-year-old son and she dey watch am as e dey play.

Dem dey di yard of one block for di estate dem dey share wit oda African families for one ghetto area for Palermo.

Di woman dey happy as she siddon dey look her son wey dey enjoy di play im dey do.

But di 25-year-old woman dey haunted by dark memories. Authorities for di shelter for migrant women and children wia she bin stay before bin wan collect her pikin.

Mary, no be her real name, bin live for Sicily for five years afta she dey trafficked from her house for Niger Delta.

Like many Nigerian women, she come on di assurance say she go get beta job but instead na ashawo work dem force her do for Palermo.

She say women like herself wey dey di immigration system for Italy dey always fear make goment no collect dia children for fostering or adoption. Mary add say two of her Nigerian friends for di shelter bin go through di experience.

These shelters na where mothers wey be victims of trafficking dey usually end up.

'Not be di Italian way'

Na NGOs dey run di package on behalf of di Italian government and dia work na to help vulnerable mothers to recover from their traumatic experiences.

But no-one sabi how many migrant mothers children dem put up for fostering or adoption for Italy as di data no dey.

For September 2018, Mary born her son afta all di suffer she suffer for inside Palermo.

She bin fall in love wit one kind young Nigerian man wey make her happy and she become pregnant. Dis suppose be her happy ending but instead she find herself for one shelter afta she born.

Wen she reach dia Mary discover say di place dey tough place and she dey fear make dem no collect her son.

She say staff her say di way she take dey raise her son no follow Italian culture.

Di "African" ways wey she take dey bring up her son shock dem, like to carry am for her back or di way wey she dey encourage am to chop by putting di food for im mouth.

She tell dem say for Nigeria na normal thing for mothers to bring up dia pikin dat way.

Dem tear her warning say if she no stop, dem go alert social services and she fit lose her son to di system.

Fight over di child

For di shelter,. Mary say di workers no give her di support she need to take look afta her son.

Everything scata one day for September 2019.

As di staff still no happy wit di way she take dey raise her pikin and for some reason di mata turn to serious argument. Dem grab her pikin and she begin struggle wit dem make dem leave am.

She say she beg dem make dem no carry am go, I cry: "Before you take my baby, make sure say you kill me."

Her son too dey cry. Afta sometimes, di workers release di baby give her.

She den begin make plans to comot di shelter and wit di help of one local NGO, she comot dia for November 2019.

But before she fit go, she must assure di social services say she and her boyfriend go fit look afta dia son.

Her boyfriend get better job and dem also get place to live. Dem buy bed for di baby and wardrobe and afta many weeks, di staff approve say dem fit move in together as a family.

European court backs Nigerian mother

For April, di European Court of Human Rights rule say Italy don violate di rights of a Nigerian mother wey authorities collect her children for Rome for 2017.

Two different Italian families na im adopt her two children and dem no allow her see dem.

D court condemn di Italian authorities say dem no appreciate say di mother fit get different parenting skills sake of her Nigerian background.

And for di ogbonge ruling, di court say di Italian authorities no even consider di woman condition, pesin wey be survivor of trafficking and order make Italy compensate her.