As the world marks the 14th International
Sex Worker’s Rights Day today, Nigerian
prostitutes have joined their counterparts
in some countries to demand for legal
recognition of their trade as a job.
Some of the prostitutes told newsmen
that the time had come for the Nigerian
government to grant them their due
recognition and further recognise that as
human beings trying to keep body and
soul going, the ‘profession’ should be
considered legitimate enough to put a
stop to its discrimination and
stigmatisation.
Though many of them did not realise that
a day like this was set aside for them until
they were told, they also called on rights
activists to assist them gain the desired
recognition.
“See, many people, including you, do not
see us as human beings. In your mind,
we are a condemned set of Nigerians who
sell their bodies so cheaply, but that
thought is not right,” Jane, a lady from
eastern Nigeria who operates at a brothel
close to the railway line in Agege, told our
correspondent.
Her colleague, a 27-year old from
southern Nigeria, said with their rights
recognised, they could pay tax to the
government and to be seen as decent
people in the society.
“In some countries abroad, sex workers
pay taxes. There is no discrimination, they
can sue and even have streets, mainly in
red light districts allocated to them to
carry out their trades.
“But here in Nigeria, we are faced with
rejection from the society, serious
harassment by the police, and
victimisation by our customers.
“You can imagine a customer who rushes
into this place in a desperate bid to ease
himself, jumps at one of us after a
bargain and rides like a horse only to
renege on the agreement on how much
he should pay. If we have our rights, we
could call for his arrest without shame or
molestation from security agents and
other Nigerians,” she explained.
In a brothel just a few meters away,
another sex worker, Judith, told our
correspondent that many prostitutes have
various reasons for taking up the
“business.”
In her own case, she had travelled out of
the country primarily to “hustle in Spain.
But I was deported even before reaching
the place.
“It was a tough experience and I started
sleeping with men as we moved from one
country to another just to get money to
survive. I stayed two months in Morocco
gathering money, but just days to my
entering Spain, I was caught with other 80
women and men and sent back to Nigeria.
“I am from Agbor in Delta State and
couldn’t go back to my place because of
the shame. So I took up residency in this
place servicing men daily and making
money. I’m even more comfortable here
now and I make good money, about
N12,000 every week,” she said.
In another brothel located behind the
lock-up shops in Iyana-Ipaja, Philo, a 30-
year old, who said she never heard that
sex workers had such a day in their
honour, said it would be good for
government to give them legal backing.
“We can be seen as social workers
assisting men who can’t summon the
courage to ‘toast’ women, who are
downtrodden and can’t maintain having a
full-time girlfriend or wife as well as those
who love variety.
“Ordinarily, without us, there would be
much depression among men in the
country. If you see what we have to bear
sometimes, dirty men, stinking mouths
and a lot more. How many women on the
streets can accommodate that?” she
asked.
Her colleague, who gave her name as Eki
(meaning market in Bini language), said
granting recognition to prostitutes in
Nigeria is the best thing government
could do for them.
“In many parts of the world, women are
not ashamed to say they are call girls
because they are recognised by the
society.
“In the case of Nigeria, we just overlook
the daily insults from both children and
adults as well as the usual harassment
from the police just to keep hope alive.
“Sincerely, we are not regarded as
members of the society, we don’t have
the freedom to do what we like because
of the stigma. If the government cannot
provide us jobs or put us on a welfare
scheme to prevent us from taking to this
means of livelihood, then it should
recognise us as doing legitimate
business,” she said.
She also called for support from non-
government and rights organisations,
saying they are in a better position to
help in the fight.
The International Sex Workers’ Rights Day
is marked on 3 March every year to call
the world’s attention to the plight of sex
workers and demand for their rights.
With the red umbrella as its symbol, the
day came into existence in 2001 with a
protest of over 25,000 sex workers
organised by the Durbar Mahila
Samanwaya Committee in India.
In South Africa, Sisonke, the only
movement of sex workers in the country
is commemorating the day with a march
across streets to call for an end to
injustices against sex workers and
demand the recognition of prostitution as
a legitimate job.
Culled from PM NEWS
No comments:
Post a Comment