MOHAMMED NYARIGU
The act of having sexual relations in exchange for economic gain is known as prostitution. The
world's oldest profession, famously known as 'euphemistically', Commercials sex work has
existed since Mesopotamia where priestS had sex with prostitutes. There were brothels in ancient
Greece where political leaders and the common people had sex with commercial sex workers. In
the ancient Roman empire, the royal leaders could have sex with their servants while the
gladiators paid for prostitutes or were awarded when they had achieved or won a fight. All these
facts prove that initially, prostitution was viewed as a necessary fact or part of life until the 19th
century when many sexually related diseases came along with it. People started regulating it in
so many countries. In Europe, some countries, which was the majority, decided to commercialize
it and collect revenues and taxes. All these were happening while the total number of prostitutes
was increasing. Religious leaders and feminists disagree on many things, but in the course
against prostitution, they tend to agree that it is making women lazy and men to waste lots of
money that would help them with their families or the fact that it is immoral. Others support it,
and they see it as an act that should be made of free will to any man or woman that would love to
engage in it. Whether each party has his own opinion, one thing that remains clear is that the rate
of prostitution is increasing day by day.
In African countries, having an estimated number of commercial sex workers is next to
impossible as they normally do it in secrete. Many are quick to judge whenever they meet people
in the commercial sex working business but have you often wonder what leads some of them on
that journey. Some people choose for themselves, while some have the choices made from them.
Either way, they both find themselves doing the same profession.
Commercial sex worker
To understand the journey into prostitution, we interviewed Asina, a young 24-year-old girl
whose entire life she has grown up without freedom to make choices in her life. She was taught
to be a prostitute at a tender age, and she grew up knowing that prostitution was the only way to
make money and support her family.
Asina
Asina's life changed when the Aunt came and took her to Kampala city to work as a house help
while going to school when she was only 11 years old. It was the only way to ensure that the
child could have a brighter future as they were languishing in poverty.
"My Aunt promised me that I would go to school, but I hardly spend two days in school. she
used to give me the bulk of clothes to wash for people as that was the only way I could make
money even though all the cash was going back home and I hardly even to buy sanitary pads."
Asian Aunt told her that she could get a boyfriend if she wanted to make money to buy her
personal belongings. The Aunty was already a prostitute by that time, and she could bring clients
into the house while Asina was present.
"I used to sleep in class whenever I went to school because of washing bulk of clothes at night
and barely having any time to close my eyes. when things got too tough, I was forced to get a
boyfriend by the age of 12, and that is how my life in prostitution started."
The major reason for prostitution in Africa is mostly due to poverty. Though the rate of poverty
has decreased from 54% to 41 %, According to the report by the Accelerating Poverty Reduction
in Africa still holds a larger number of people leaving below the world's poverty line. Asina and
her family are just among the many people leaving in Africa that can't afford to put a meal on the
table. The Aunty was well aware of that, and she made sure to Exploit the young Asina very well
since that was probably the only way she knew how to survive then.
By the age of 14 years, Asina got pregnant, and the Aunty advised her to for an abortion, which
was illegally done since there is no legal abortion in Uganda. They messed up her reproductive
organ to the point that she could not get pregnant again since the person who helped her perform
the act was unqualified. After that, Asina was consumed into the world of using her body for
economic gains as that was the only hustle. By the time she was 18 or 19, Asina ran to Nairobi to
look for more money due to family pressure. She was the one supporting her all family. Asina
met Floo, a Dutch friend who took the responsibility of taking care of her. She calls him his
guardian angel.
"My Aunty came with a new proposal of taking me to Thailand to make more money. She
hooked me up with some criminal indicate who organized my passport and all the documents I
needed to travel to Thailand, but in return, I owed them 5000 USD."
Asina in Thailand
Asina had no Idea that these people were not helping her, but she had just become merchandise
(sex trafficking). They were taking her to Thailand to go and do prostitution, and she had to pay
the entire 5000 USD before she could start to make money of her own.
"I was leaving in the house of a female boss who had several prostitutes working for her from
different parts of the world but mostly from Africa. Several African girls were forced to go
around bars and do prostitution, then later come back with the money and give it to the female
boss until we recover our debts. I realized that I could not raise the entire 5000 dollars within the
three months of my visa, and It scared me so much. "
To pay her debt, she would have to work for the criminal Indicate for more than three months as
an illegal Immigrant making her more vulnerable to be exploited by the Female boss.
"Life became worse after that my visa Expired as the woman would sometimes call the police on
me so that she could get me scared and I could be loyal to her. She even started to ask for rent
and Abusing me in ways I cannot describe. I wanted to kill myself because life was unbearable.
My only crime was wanting the best for my family, especially for my brother and my favorite
sister Fatuma. I wanted them to get educated so that they would not end up like me. Floo came to
my rescue, and he paid for my ticket and organized how he could sneak out of the country."
Upon arriving in Uganda, they took her to a small town where she received medical care since
she had contracted several sexually transmitted diseases. After three months, she went back to
Kampala city and organized how Asina could go back to school to learn to be a hairdresser. She
stayed there for one year, and for the first time in Asina's Life, she stayed for a year out of
trouble.
"My mother was sick, and I was receiving a lot of pressure from home. I was missing my old life
because I was already addicted to it by that time. Prostitution is like a drag, and you could easily
find yourself in a hole that's too deep to come out. That's the exact situation that I found myself
in. My Aunt helped me run to china, this time telling me china is different from Thailand, and I
would make lots of money to get me out of this life and save my family out of poverty."
While in china after working for about six months, Asina was arrested and put in jail for three
months while awaiting deportation. Upon her deportation, they left with nothing as the Chinese
government took all her savings.
"I was depressed when I came back from China, and I opted to go back home and take a break
from everything. Apart from me also felt guilty for disappointing Floo, the only friend who has
been there for me through my journey.
Asina being prayed for and welcomed in the rehabilitation center
Asina came back to Nairobi did some prostitution for a while before she decided to change and
call Floo, her only friend who agreed to help her as always. She got saved and agreed to go for
rehab in Nigeria. Asina is now in a rehabilitation center for the past six months and hopes for the
best and a new future.