Malawi girls queuing up for sex to survive -NAC
Scores of young girls are queuing for sex with men who are ready to pay in Blantyre, youth commissioner in National Aids Commission (NAC) Chimwemwe Kaonga has witnessed.
According to Kaonga, girls are queuing up for sex in commercial city’s unofficial red light streets and drinking joints.
“I did a spot check during one of the evening in our townships; I saw tens and tens of girls some as young as 12 and 13 years standing along the streets and drinking joints waiting for men to exchange their bodies with money,” Kaonga is quoted in the local press.
“I was so shocked, this situation is deplorable and unacceptable,” said Kaonga.
NAC official said some of the girls are forced by their parents to sell sex for economic reasons.
The increase of girls offering themselves for sex for survival has been driven by rising poverty levels.
Kaonga has since called on Blantyre City Council to ensure the pubs operate within their time limits and not accommodate underage-girls.
He said efforts to reduce new HIV infections are being hampered by the rising sexual work by girls.
With unemployment rate rising, sex has become a means to survive for many girls and even a form of peer pressure.
In the capital city, Lilongwe, particularly in such areas as Likuni, the situation is such that young women, even below the age of 15, use prostitution as a way to earn an income.
They do not sleep at all. Most have dropped out of school, and make use of drinking joints to earn their money.
“If you are lucky enough you sleep with two to three men and earn about 6000 Malawi Kwacha,” said 18 year old Josephine (not her real name).
Another woman, Sophie (also not real name) said that she lost her parents when she was young, and decided to engage in sex work to help her sisters and brothers.
“I have my younger sisters who I am looking after. Being the oldest I had no choice when we lost both parents, but went on to engage in prostitution,” she said.
One thing the interviewees all had in common was that they saw the profession as a means of survival.
Malawi, just like many other countries in Africa, criminalises sex work. Without any legal machinery to regulate the profession, this group of young people is very vulnerable. And while HIV and AIDS continues to be a major health challenge in Malawi and other sub-Saharan countries, these young women need to be given special attention to protect themselves from the pandemic.
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Kudali azawo amapita kumimba kwa edzi osafa. Lero alikuti? Tidakaika Tasiyani amenewo. Kumanda kumapita ndi okongola omwe. Sikuti zimafa ndi nkwangwa zokha zokha. Taika anthu ife.
Odala ali wosauka mu Mzimu chifukwa uli wawo ufumu wa ku mwamba.
prostitution is all over the world I have travelled to different countries and to stop it, it’s not easy task fot government but,depending on indivial willing to know bad and good.
to lost a parents this is not enogh reson bt is true human nuture so let me ask non gvt organisations what their responsible? cz we are lost future readers just imagine
Sometimes girls are stupid, they can take this prostitution as a game or a hobby bcz some of the prostitute they are from rich families not all of them are poor!!!!!
Pitala alibe bvuto. I have been in Zimbabwe, Joburg, This is all over
Even in Thailand, Bankok in particular you find a lot of prostitutes all over so are these poor people? Go to Zambia(Lusasa) even just their at Chipata so many young girls queues for sex are they poor?
Girls do not just to be roughed to stop this act.They need to be equiped with life skills and develop behaviour change attitudes.An initiative known as GO GIRLS can be of much help.We have tried it and success stories have been emerging.Contact me on [email protected] for more information.
Haahaha,what can stop the young ladies to queing for sex if you are the one enriching yourselves with so called funding towards HIV/AIDS if the funding is not being going to right individuals exepect more,this just the begginning
No. 36, you are talking of girls that go to Bwandiro or Kamba. The issue here is about majority, and the majority of mahule are in are a like Chinsapo/Chigwirizano, Area 49, 25, Kawale, Mchesi, 23, Mbayani, Ndirande. take time to talk to them in an investigative manner and you will know the real malawi not tija topitila kubala kukanjoya tija. Those are less that 2%