The city of Ferrara on Friday bestowed its Peace Prize on Isoke Aikpitanyi, a Nigerian woman who escaped the human traffickers who forced her into prostitution on the streets of Italy and was beaten to within an inch of her life for rebelling against them.
"There are many like me, do not abandon them," Aikpitanyi said during the ceremony.
"Nigeria is not poor, but its people cannot access its wealth," she explained. "This is why so many are forced to emigrate. The organizers of these trips are Nigerian mafia organizations, they are the only ones getting rich".
"For us, the word 'peace' does not mean 'leave us in peace'," said Mayor Tiziano Tagliani.
"We try daily to understand why entire peoples are fleeing entire continents, and we are also committed to the cultural work of integration".
Ferrara peace prize to Isoke Aikpitanyi
'Many women like me, help them' says human trafficking survivor