Il giuramento del juju nel sex trafficking e meccanismi di affrancamento

This paper intends to examine the elements that get involved into the pro- cess of enfranchisement from the juju oath in women of sub-Saharan African origin, trafficked for sexual purposes. There are several contributions in the literature that highlight the power of subjection recognized to the rituality of juju, but there are few studies that have dealt with understanding the mechanisms that qualify the process of releasing the oath in the new continent, without having paid off the debt. Filing this gap, we will present the results of a qualitative research conducted with 26 women survivors of sex trafficking, from Nigeria, who underwent the juju rite before leaving for Italy. The main results of the interviews show the centrality of the spir- itual dimension also in the process of emancipation: through the re-appropriation and strengthening of Christian spiritual elements it becomes feasible to escape the bond of the oath.