French court acquits British couple of human trafficking

A British couple have been acquitted of human trafficking by a French court which rejected the accusations by their former Madagascan au pair, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Robert and Sharon Moses went on trial in December after their former employee, Sahobilalaina Vonintsoa, accused them of making her work around the clock, confiscating her passport and preventing her from leaving their home.

The couple faced charges of human trafficking for non-existent or inadequate payment to a vulnerable or dependent person and for not declaring an employee but prosecutors said these were "not sufficiently established" and were "disproportionate with the reality of the case."

The couple's lawyer said Vonintsoa, 28, only made the accusations when the couple, who lived in southern France, refused to renew her contract after she stole money.

The complaint "allowed her to extend her residency permit after the expiry of her one-year visa," Ariane Fatovich said.
The au pair had been seeking 24,000 euros ($33,000) in compensation for unpaid wages and an additional 15,000 euros in damages.

Nigerian police rescues pregnant girls from 'baby factory'

LAGOS Nigerian police have raided an alleged illegal orphanage where they rescued young women thought to have been forced to bear children with the aim of selling them, a spokesman said on Friday.
   "We discovered the baby factory in Uruah local government area of the state during a raid following a tip-off," assistant police superintendent Oyekachi Orji said of the operation in southern Akwa Ibom state.
   He said seven women between the ages of 18 and 20, including three who were pregnant, were freed from the home during the April 4 operation. No babies were discovered.
   Three suspects including the owner, his wife and another accomplice were arrested, he said.
   "The suspects usually lure young girls to get pregnant with a promise of 70,000 Naira (340 euros, $445) after having their babies, which they sell to ritualists," he said.
   A number of such "factories" have been discovered Nigeria, often intending to sell children to childless couples.
   Human trafficking is widespread in west Africa, where children are bought from their families to work in plantations, mines and factories or as domestic help.
   Others are sold into prostitution, and less commonly they are tortured or sacrificed in black magic rituals.