Teenage Girls Face Forced Prostitution in Bottle Shops

BY: BLESSINGS HARAWA, PILIRANI MPINGANJIRA

There are many orphans and vulnerable children in communities like Zingwangwa, Chilobwe and Manase.  It is important to understand why they are in this situation, their needs and ways of assisting them. In this way you will be able to help them feel secured and make their lives happy.

Cases of forced prostitution in these communities are on the rise. One reason that is greatly contributing to the increase is poverty. Many teenagers and adolescents are forced to go to drinking places to sell beer or work as commercial sex workers in order to earn little money for their homes.

Upon arriving in Zingwangwa, near the market you will see a shabby building paint black with words in white written, “Welcome to Trench Town.”

Entering the shabeen you will be greeted by music from popular local musicians coming out from big speakers that even people inside cannot hear each other when talking.

From the shabeen’s counter emerges one young and innocent looking girl.  In her early teens, the girl’s name is  Sekanawo Phiri. Sekanawo is a 15-year-old girl. She is the first-born daughter in a family of four. Her father died in 2006.

The shabeen, which Sekanawo sells beer, is owned by her mother.

Sekanawo started selling beer in the year 2008 after her father’s death in 2006.  “Since my father’s death in 2006 my mother ordered me to be serving customers in the Pub,” said Sekanawo dressed in a black bare back blouse and white miniskirt exposing her thighs so as to attract the customers. A standard five dropout.  Sekanawo is just one of the victims of forced prostitution in our communities.

“My mother forces me to sleeping with some of her customers to raise money for the sustainability of the family,” said Sekanawo while sobbing.

After sometimes in the pub one woman appears dressed in a three piece chitenke, a white t-shirt and a headgear, she is Sekanawo’s mother.

Sekanawo’s mother started selling beer  business in 2006 after the death of her husband.

“After my husband’s death the only means of survival was to start distilling local wine for me and my children,” said Sekanawo’s mother.

Now the business has grown and she now orders beer from Chibuku Products Limited and her customers are young and old males.

Eye of the Child is a Civil Society Organization, which fights against forced prostitution, child labour and sexual abuse.

According to Maxwell Matewere Executive Director, the Organization receives numerous cases of Sekanawo’s kind but the organization effort alone is not enough.

“We need the government to provide us with financial support for us to minimize cases of forced prostitution and other issues affecting children in the country,” said Matewere looking concerned.

“These young girls who are forced into prostitution are not only at risk of contracting the HIV virus, they are also at risk of being victims of early pregnancies,” continued Matewere.

He further called up government and other well wishers to assist the organization so that they can handle some of the cases the organization receives which does not only have to do with forced prostitution but child labour, human trafficking and sexual abuse.

The Civil Society should have a wider campaign to educate the children and also lobby for the funding from government and the donor community so as to sponsor for the children’s education and their welfare.

Government should put in place stringent measures to ensure maximum protection of the children by bringing to book all people who infringe the rights of these children.

The media should also place a leading role in sensitizing the community on the dangers of ill treating vulnerable children.