MWENYA’S DIARY

                          BY MWENYA MUKUKA

Studies have revealed that the growth of child prostitution in Southern Africa is due largely to poverty, unequal gender relationships, a breakdown of family structures, limited access to education by young girls and sexual abuse. Other reasons for Child prostitution, which is a growing phenomenon in Southern Africa , include chronic family poverty owing to a lack of employment for adults and young persons; a breakdown in family support mechanisms; migration; gender inequality; and the impact of HIV/AIDS. Another contributory cause is the inadequacy of the education systems, which provide quality schooling for only a limited number of children.Of all, one of reason deserves particular attention due to the urgency and magnitude of the problem. The escalating number of people affected by HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa seems to be a major reason for the increase in child labour in general, and child prostitution in particular. This phenomenon raises questions regarding legislation, including the labour legislation of most countries (in which prostitution is not recognised as a form of labour), and penal legislation (which usually criminalises prostitution).What also needs to be looked at is the child’s own power to make decisions: that is to take responsibility for his or her actions.The notion of the child’s decision to become a prostitute is in no way used to blame or criminalize the child, but to illustrate that the child usually in order to survive or improve living conditions makes a conscious choice to earn money by selling sexual favours. This decision may, however, be driven by a lack of alternative opportunities.Some workers in the field of child welfare have noticed that while working in several countries in Southern Africa most girls are forced to earn money without ever having had the benefit of the kind of education that would allow them to get a job guaranteeing cash income. As in most parts of the world, raising a girl in Southern Africa still means to prepare her for being a good wife and mother. Thus, girls are taught to manage a household, to help raise their smaller siblings, and above all to please men in bed. Consequently, for girls without any professional training prostitution is a means to earn cash income. A Rapid Assessment (RA) into the situation of child labour was carried out in Mozambique by UNICEF and representatives of the Ministry of Labour in 1999–2001.Its aim was to obtain qualitative information on the causes, conditions and consequences of child labour in Mozambique. This was done to determine whether there was a need for intervention and, if so, what kind would be required. In the course of several national and provincial preparatory meetings, those participating in the RA identified child prostitution as one area of child labour that needed to be investigated. Since prostitution is not recognised as work according to Mozambican legislation, child prostitutes are technically not considered to be workers. Furthermore, prostitution is illegal in Mozambique , as in most other countries. Despite these considerations, those researching child labour in Mozambique decided to include child prostitution as one of the key occupations to be investigated.Preliminary discussions evolved around the terminology of child abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, child sex workers and child prostitution.In Mozambique, stakeholders from government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), unions and employers agreed not to use the term ‘sex workers’, partly because of the legislation referred to above.As the following common definitions for child prostitution show, in most cases reference is made to the exploitative character of the phenomenon. There are various definitions used for the work of child prostitutes: Back home here in Zambia , the situation is a bit different. Child prostitution is often done in hiding.  Queen mothers especially in the urban, fishing camps sale the young people to ‘older’ people for a living. According to a research by the movement for Community Action on the for the Prevention and Protection of Young People Against Poverty, Diseases, Destitution, and Exploitation in Lusaka recently revealed that these children though are ‘sold’ exorbitantly, they never have a bit of it. After a bit of experience they form their own camps of sex workers leaving their queens. These children in their early days have a lot of market because men prefer young sex workers but after some years in the system business begin to decline and this makes them relocate to other places.

‘Have moved around Zambia since I started the business. Have been even been to South Africa just to find where I could find market.’ Noted a former sex worker who is now married with a kid and born again.

‘I started after my father failed to provide for us when he was pruned from the mines in Luashya. I was 16 then’ She disclosed. Most sex workers learn the vive from neighbors, relatives and from friends. There is need to address the issue of Child prostitution as it will have a terrible effect on the female folk in Zambia .The development became worse after the movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) took office in 1991. It embarked on structural adjustment programme (SAP), which was thought to revamp the performance of the companies in the nation. The development saw the privatization of many parastatal companies.But prior to the return to multipartism in 1991 many people depended much on employment as the main source of their living. They provided for their children and indeed the companies especially the mines provided social amenities that prevented children to get involved in immoral activities.Indeed on the copperbelt province, the region that was the base of Zambia ’s economy collapsed after the mines were given in the hands of the foreigners, as if that was not enough, many Zambians were thrown out of employment and some died without receiving benefits a situation that developed into the breaking of many social fibres.Families broke up because they cannot manage to look after their brothers’, sister’s children and the issue of extended families which was so highly upheld by Zambians is slowly fading, all because of poor economic status of many.Streetism has become the order. Children are being subjected to so many immoral doings. The women organizations have claimed that the worst affected and who are failing to survive for long on the street are girls. Those who have not been able to go onto the streets have resorted to prostitution. ‘Business people’ have taken advantage of the vulnerability of girl children and traffic them under the pretence of giving them good jobs in the foreign lands. This attracts our females.The movement for Community Action on the for the Prevention and Protection of Young People Against Poverty, Diseases, Destitution, and Exploitation (MAPODE) Director Merab Kiremire at a workshop for Journalists on Human trafficking last year said that “Human traffic especially of young is growing in Zambia and if we are not careful our girls will diminish”. “The media should rise to the occasion and prevent our girls from being exploited in the foreign land because they never come back alive,” She added. These developments have come because of many factors among them poverty.Mwaka (Not real name) became a prostitute at the age of 15. She leant the skill from her guardian who failed to take her to school after she was thrown out of employment and told her she was beautiful and that men would like her so much. Besides she would make a posh living out of that.In many parts of the world, the problem of child prostitution is a frightening reality with tragic outcomes. Often   child prostitutes involve themselves in drug abuse and crime. They feel frustrated, worthless and see little or no prospect of escaping their wretched lives.Despite the noble intentions of many people who want to stop child prostitution, the problem is growing. What leads to this horrific situation? Why do many tolerate or even promote such criminal activity?Human trafficking is now representing the world’s third largest criminal activity, overtaken only by drugs and weapon trafficking. Child prostitution thrives in an environment of misery and poverty. According to MAPODE   director Merab Kiremire a non-governmental organization working in the prevention of human trafficking in Zambia , prostitution is clearly linked to the disintegration of the family and the fruits of hunger and misery. Some parents claim poverty led them to sell their children into prostitution while those on the streets sort to selling their bodies as the only means of survival.With the high incidence of sexually transmitted diseases such a s AIDS, customers are willing to pay far higher charges for children who are considered more likely to be virgins and thus less likely to be HV+.

One would ask, “Will child prostitution come to an end?” Yes it can come to an end if the government put up right policies regarding the empowerment of the families in the nation.