Prostitution delicate issue

PROSTITUTION is complex and delicate issue and no one’s statement will address it all.
I had the privilege to be involved in finding out why women, girls, boys and men get involved in prostitution when I was the chairman of the Parliament HIV/AIDS advocacy committee more than 10 years ago.
I concur with the churches view that the body should be used properly in marriage situations and community development saying prostitution is for lazy people.
But, when you look into the statistics, there are wide range of people selling sex for money ranging from lower class, middle class and high class workers and the fees varies according to their classes.
Lower class earns about K2 to K50 per session, middle class between K50 to K200 per session and upper class K500 plus per session.
In a case stand by the West New Britain AIDS secretariat more than 10 years ago as an example, the following were found on a small case study of 30 clients.
About 40 per cent were school age girls who left school at the primary level.
They were forced to join sex work because they had unstable family where the parents split and they had no school fees and have to fend for themselves as relatives are not always keen to take them in.
The other 30 per cent took up selling sex for money as they are girls and women with broken marriages where the husband left them with children and they had no land to work on or little education to find employment.
The other 30 per cent was a mixed bag.
When we look at the statistics, more than half of them had real needs that made them do what they had to do.
A blanket statement saying they are lazy may not fit them well.
The other issues with the industry are unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS among others.
If we are to address these, I think this group need to have some safe haven to stay given life skills and return them to their community which some groups such as Anglicare in Waigani are doing.
Save the Children are doing a fantastic job under the circumstances protecting women who are involved in this industry but they can do so much.
These organisations need Government support because they are mainly funded by NGOs.
With modern technology, the world is at our finger tips.
A lot of countries around the world have programmes to address this and many have been very successful at it with very low HIV/AIDS prevalence rates which we can learn from.
Apart from the above measures two things helped their situation.
Firstly, they decriminalise those who are involved in this industry.
Secondly, they have proper licensed brothel set up where women in this trade are regularly checked and medical certificates given out for the safety of their clients, the community including the population at large.
My suggestion is for PNG to decriminalise the sex industry.
Embrace that group as they are a marginalised community and teach them life support and turn them into a changed person in the community.

Dr Banare Bun,
Lae