CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF COMMERCIAL SEX WORK AMONG AKWA IBOM GIRLS

 

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1              Background Of The Study

Commercial sex is basically sex for money. It is not restricted to any culture, its global and it transcends all age barriers as some cases girls as young as eight years are involved. Commercial sex has evolved over the last two decades, (National Behaviour Survey 2004). According to the National Behaviour Survey (2004), commercial sex work has indeed become complex in different ways as there are male sex workers in Nigeria who have sex with men for commercial reasons and there is an organization0 that support them which based in Ibadan, Oyo state.

Commercial sex has particularly taken a worrisome and indeed despicable turn on the continent through traffic human right and these have become major issues in West Africa (Human Right

Action, 1997). In recent time, commercial sex has become a lucrative business in Nigeria especially among the youths (Ikpe, 2008). Research has it that, 31% of sex workers are students particularly in Nigeria institutions (Onah, 2000). Onah (2000), is of the view that, there are different forms of sex workers, those that stay in the brothels, those that stand on the road side, those that operate from home etc.

Furthermore, sex work has now become an occupation especially for the girls in countries like Netherland, Brazil, Norway etc, sex work serves as one of the sources of revenue for government, hence, taxes are paid to the government (Aday, 1990). Aday further says that, sex workers face systematic discrimination throughout the world and are therefore, at risk of variety of abuses, these include police extortion, arbitrary detention and other. Violations of their human and labour rights which in some cases even amount to slavery.

In Nigeria, sex work is an illegal business because, the law prohibits its, but no active action has really been taken against it by the government (Onah, 2000). In AkwaIbom State particularly, Uyo local government, commercial sex workers can be found in hotels, bars, brothels and on the street, (Onah, 2000). Despite the efforts made by the government and other private organization to eradicate sex work in Uyo, it has rather grown to become one of the outstanding social problems that have really apprehended the people of Uyo (Onah, 2000). It is on this background that, this research work attempts to find a possible way of coping with this problem.

1.2              Statement Of The Problem

The people involved in commercial sex experience negative effect even though they still make out from it. Lex (1992), argued that, sex work has been identified as the core group for transmission of HIV/AIDS and STD; Thus, they face discrimination throughout the world.

Due to the diseases that befall these people on daily basis, sex work has been considered a menace in the society and also violence against humanity, (Lex, 1992). These negative effects includes untimely death, frustration, unwanted pregnancy etc. one of the major challenges is that, some of these sex workers are illiterates, they neither attain seminars nor listen to news on television where they could be enlightened on the risk of their work. These work has then, become their life style, therefore, making it difficult for the government to cope with.

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