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By ZACHERY PER POLITICIANS, businessmen and public servants are the major clients of sex workers, according to the Highlands Women’s Association (HWA). President of the HWA Daisy Kennedy brought this to the attention of the Minimum Wages Board (MWB) hearing in Goroka last Friday. She said the current economic hardship coupled with the sky rocketing prices of basic goods and services had forced a good number of women to go into commercial sex that attracts a lot of politicians, businessmen and public servants to become major clients. She said the situation forced casual employees to force their daughters and wives to go into prostitution to supplement their income. Mrs Kennedy said this led to an increase in the HIV figures and law and order. There are situations where white collar crimes have increased. “PNG is only 33 years old but where are we heading? What is going to happen in the next 10 years?” she asked. Mrs Kennedy has recommended to the MWB for a 200% increase for minimum wages. Meanwhile, the adviser to the Eastern Highlands provincial secretariat John Sari in a separate appearance before MWB said a review of the minimum wage had been long overdue. He said the buying power of the kina had declined since the 1980s bringing both public and civil servants into hard times. Mr Sari said many public servants had been going into loan sharks to borrow money with 40% interest rates. “The issue at the moment is not only to review the minimum wages but to also take on board other associated policies to be reviewed to make overall changes to create a conducive environment for living,” he said. The MWB has taken the concerns and scenarios raised in the highlands regions which would also take into account presentations and submissions from other three regions before finalising a report for the Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations to table before the National Executive Council. |
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