Call to legalise brothels

Main Stories, National
Source:

The National, Thursday 2nd May 2013

 By JAMES APA GUMUNO

TWO sex workers in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, want the government to legalise brothels to help minimise the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

The sex workers, a mother of two and a divorced wife, told The National that the high cost of living in the city forced young girls, divorced women and even some with their husbands to turn into prostitution to earn their living and support their families.

The women live in the city and asked not to be identified, saying they needed to earn a living. Their aim is to earn as much as possible.

They said girls as young as 15 years joined other sex workers out on the streets at night time because their parents could not afford to buy necessary items such as mobile phones, nice shoes and clothes or give them money and others things they needed or wanted in life.

“Young girls want to dress up like other girls who work in office where they have many good things and go out to socialise,” said one of the women.

One of them said when their parents failed to provide, the girls turned to prostitution to earn fast money.

The mother of two said she resorted to sex work in 2009 when her husband left her with the two young children and married another woman.

“I  was brought up in the city and had no way to earn or my people support me and the kids. I sell my body to look after my kids and provide food in the house,” she said.

She has many clients but doesn’t know whether they have HIV/AIDS. She was only interested in making money, she said.

She said many in her trade contracted the virus and died. 

Others were ill and waiting to die, she added.

“I carry around both male and female condoms and use them every time I have sex because I don’t want to die without seeing my kids growing up,” the woman said.

It would be better for the government to legalise brothels to ensure proper checks, which would mean minimising the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexual  diseases.

“Drunken men have a no-care attitude. They come around in the night and pick up any woman or girl on the street, pay them and after using them, bring them back and drop them on the street again,” she said.

Western Highlands provincial aids technical officer Apollos Yimbak said due to the high cost of living and other family problems, many young girls and women turned to prostitution quite quickly.

Yimbak said the sex workers knew well that HIV/AIDS was rampant in the country but were risking their lives for money.

“I can’t support the call made by the sex workers to legalised the brothels but want to ask the government to do own research in major cities and towns and make a decision whether to legalise it,” he said.

He urged sex workers from other provinces in the city to return to their homes  and do something constructive to support themselves and their families.

“It’s hard to stop anyone from having sex but if you wanted to have it then use condoms every time,” he said.  

He urged parents to take good care of their daughters and not force them out of the house.

Yimbak said Western Highlands was second highest on the ladder in terms of HIV/AIDS statistics.