‘Human beings are not for sale’

By BEVERLY PETER
MAGISTRATE Paul Puri Nii says human beings cannot be sold for money or sex.
“Only animals have no value in life and thus can be sold for money or valuables,” he added.
Nii made the scathing remarks on Monday when committing Jenny Omoa, 20, to stand trial in the National Court for allegedly pimping a 12-year-old girl in Port Moresby last year.
He said there was evidence that Jenny, from Kairiku’s Orai village in Central, took K100 from the men who wanted to have sex with the girl.
“The evidence shows Jenny’s act in arranging an unsuspecting child victim for sex and the money is not only illegal but frightening and unbecoming of a human being,” he added.
On Aug 3, Jenny allegedly took the girl to Unagi Oval in Gordon to meet with two men, one of who Jenny’s partner’s brother and the arrangement was for Jenny to give the girl to the man to have sex.
Nii said the evidence showed the girl was later taken to a 5-Mile guest house for sex after Jenny left the girl with the men
“However, the police who were at the guest house for a police operation rescued the girl,” he added.
“Jenny admitted to arranging the victim for prostitution and said the K100 was given by her husband through his brother.
“In Jenny’s defence, she said the victim’s mother gave permission to arrange for her child to be prostituted.”
Nii said he was convinced that Jenny invited and persuaded the girl to engage in child prostitution when she left the victim with the two strangers and left after getting K100.
“The girl was in Jenny’s care and she knowingly allowed and facilitated the arrangement and she also knowingly received K100 as a favour in return for the victim to be used in prostitution,” he said, fixing Monday for the case to be listed in the National Court.
“Therefore, there is sufficient evidence for Jenny to be tried for obtaining the services of a child prostitute.”