Commercial sex workers resume

By Alie Turay
As the Ebola virus continues to ravage the country, Commercial sex workers in Freetown, despite established regulations to avoid contact, have resumed duty in major streets of Freetown.
For the past few months, the entire streets of Freetown have been empty; even street dogs have been hard to find, especially after 7pm. But this is longer the case, as a fleet of young girls mostly between the ages of 15-25 have taken over the streets.
Lumley beach, Wilkinson Road, Aberdeen Ferry Road, Rawdon Street, Garrison Street, which is their usual points of contact are no exception.
In fact, it has appeared as if their numbers have swelled beyond their usual proportion.
A commercial sex worker along Wilkinson Road, ‘Aminata’ (not her real name) told AWOKO that since the Ebola epidemic took over the country, she has been applying effort to avoid body contact by staying at home but due to the current economic hardship, she has no choice but to take the most deadly risk of engaging in her usual act of finding her living-prostitution.
Theresa (not her real name) who claimed to be a single mother, and was found along Lumley beach told AWOKO that she believes that Ebola is real and is presently in Freetown but because of the fact that she has nothing else to do because, especially when she is not educated, she decided on doing what she is doing to feed her two kids.
“Even though I don’t have costumers compared to before but I have to come out and stay all night to find a living.
Another commercial sex worker along Rawdon Street who simply introduced herself as ‘Mummy’ said despite their deplorable condition, the Police add salt to injury, by constantly raiding them, and in the process cart away all the little gains they would have made overnight. This, she said, has added to their suffering.
A youngman ‘Abdul’ explained that the prostitutes have devised another means of plying their trade without Police harassment.
“Now they go ‘ose-ose’ soliciting any man they see sitting infront of their houses. Now the exercise is easy and costs less” , he said.
The Head for Health for All Coalition, Charles Mambu said that the act of prostitution is illegal and should be avoided at this material time in the fight against the disease, as the prostitutes themselves could either be possible carriers of the deadly virus or contract it from their customers.
He said that they should therefore abstain from the trade in a bid to help the government fight against the deadly virus.
He therefore called on authorities concerned for prompt intervention to take them off the streets, instead of waiting until they become: “vital contributors to spreading the disease”
He viewed that hardship should not be a reason for them engaging in prostitution at this crucial time as: “there profession will have to remain even after Ebola would have been contained.”