Prostitution in Zambia

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Prostitution in Zambia is legal [1] [2] and common. [3] Related activities such as soliciting and procuring are prohibited. [1] UNAIDS estimate there are 9,285 prostitutes in the capital, Lusaka. [4] Many women turn to prostitution due to poverty. [5] Sex workers report law enforcement is corrupt, inconsistent and often abusive. [1]

Contents

In Lusaka, some prostitutes enrol in colleges to obtain a campus room to work from. [6]

Zambia has a huge problem relating to child prostitution. [7] There is a common false belief that having intercourse with a virgin will cure AIDS. [8] HIV [9] and sex trafficking [10] are also problems in the country.

History

Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, prostitution occurred along the long-distance trade routes, especially around the rest houses. [11]

From 1850, the number of Europeans settling in Zambia increased greatly. Most were single men who employed 'Cook Boys’ as servants. Part of the duties of the 'Cook Boys’ was to procure prostitutes for their employers. The woman became known as 'Cook Women’. [11]

Starting from in the 1900s, many men moved from the rural areas to the emerging industrial areas to find work. Some worked in the tin and lead mines at Kabwe, others worked on the construction of the Livingstone to Katanga railway. These men. living away from their wives, created a demand for prostitution in these areas. [11] In Lusaka, prostitutes set up settlements alongside the worker's residential areas. [11]

In the 1920s and 1930s, large scale mining in the Copperbelt was established. The mine workers created a huge demand for prostitution. The prostitutes also cooked and washed for the miners and were known as 'comfort women'. [11]

By 1930, STIs were highly prevalent amongst migrant workers. The Native Authorities expelled all unmarried women from migrant worker's camps in the Copperbelt. The Colonial Government set up blockades at bus stops and transit routes in 1939 in an attempt to stop the prostitutes travelling to the areas men were working in. As a result, brothels started to appear along the migrant labour routes, these routes becoming known as 'whores’ tracks'. Thee Mulobezi – Mongu trail in the Western Province was particularly known for its brothels. [11]

Following Zambia's win over Ghana in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations's semi-final, many prostitutes offered supporters free sex as part of the celebrations. [12]

HIV

HIV is a major problem in Zambia, with the 7th highest prevalence in the world. [13] Sex workers are a high risk group. Condom use is low, partly due to a belief that circumcised men can't spread the infection. [14] UNAIDS estimate HIV prevalence amongst sex workers to be 56.4% [15]

Sex trafficking

Zambia is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking. While orphans and street children are most vulnerable, children of affluent village families are also at risk of trafficking because sending children to the city for work is perceived to confer status. Zambian boys and girls are exploited in sex trafficking by truck drivers in towns along the Zimbabwean and Tanzanian borders and by miners in Solwezi. Zambian boys are subjected to sex trafficking in Zimbabwe and women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking in South Africa. Domestically, extended families and trusted family acquaintances facilitate trafficking. [10]

Women and children from neighboring countries are exploited in sex trafficking in Zambia. Chinese traffickers bring in Chinese women and girls for sexual exploitation in brothels and massage parlors in Lusaka; traffickers use front companies posing as travel agencies to lure Chinese victims and coordinate with Zambian facilitators and middlemen. Potential trafficking victims from Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Syria were identified in Zambia. [10]

The United States Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons ranks Zambia as a 'Tier 2' country. [16]

Further reading

Related Research Articles

Prostitution in Myanmar is illegal, but widespread. Prostitution is a major social issue that particularly affects women and children. UNAIDS estimate there to be 66,000 prostitutes in the country.

Prostitution in Guatemala is legal but procuring is prohibited. There is an offence of “aggravated procuring” where a minor is involved. Keeping a brothel is not prohibited.

Prostitution in Senegal is legal and regulated. Senegal has the distinction of being one of the few countries in Africa to legalize prostitution, and the only one to legally regulate it. The only condition that it is done discreetly. Prostitution was first legalised in 1966. UNAIDS estimate that there are over 20,000 prostitutes in the country. The average age for a sex worker in Senegal is 28 years old and female.

Prostitution in Georgia is illegal but widespread, particularly in the capital, Tbilisi. Many NGO's attribute this to the harsh economic conditions according to the US State Department. Prostitution occurs on the streets, in bars, nightclubs, hotels and brothels. UNAIDS estimate there are 6,525 prostitutes in Georgia.

Prostitution in El Salvador is not prohibited by national law, but may be prohibited by local municipal ordinances. Municipal ordinances may also prohibit the purchase of sexual services. Related activities such as facilitating, promoting or giving incentives to a person to work as a prostitute (pimping) are illegal. The prostitution of children is also illegal. Brothel ownership, however, is legal. There are no specific laws against human trafficking, but any criminal offence that includes ‘commerce in women or children’ requires sentencing to be increased by 30%.

Prostitution in Guyana is illegal but widespread. Prostitution law is antiquated and dates from the colonial era. Law enforcement is inconsistent and sex workers report violence and abuse by the police. Many turn to prostitution for economic reasons and the lack of other job opportunities. Prostitution continues to receive greater public attention due to the high incidence of HIV/AIDS among prostitutes. Prostitution in the country is separated into three types: "uptown", servicing affluent clients, "downtown", servicing the working classes, and mining sites. UNAIDS estimate there to be 6,000 prostitutes in the country.

Prostitution in Tanzania is illegal but widespread. UNAIDS estimate there to be 155,450 prostitutes in the country. Many women and young girls are forced into prostitution due to poverty, lack of job opportunities, culture, and the disintegration of the family unit. Many university students have to turn to prostitution for economic reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Africa</span> Overview of the legality and practice of prostitution in Africa

The legal status of prostitution in Africa varies widely. It is frequently common in practice, partially driven by the widespread poverty in many sub-Saharan African countries, and is one of the drivers for the prevalence of AIDS in Africa. Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire permit the operations of brothels. In other countries, prostitution may be legal, but brothels are not allowed to operate. In some countries where prostitution is illegal, the law is rarely enforced.

Prostitution in Eswatini is illegal, the anti-prostitution laws dating back to 1889, when the country Eswatini was a protectorate of South Africa. Law enforcement is inconsistent, particularly near industrial sites and military bases. Police tend to turn a blind eye to prostitution in clubs. There are periodic clamp-downs by the police.

Prostitution in Eritrea is legal and regulated. Official figures state there are around 2,000 prostitutes in the country, who are not allowed to operate near schools, hospitals, and churches. According to the 2009 Human Rights Reports, security forces occasionally follow women engaged in prostitution and arrest those who had spent the night with a foreigner. Some women enter prostitution due to poverty. Prostitutes are known locally as "shermuta" in Arabic, or "mnzerma" and "me'amn" in Tigrinya.

Prostitution in Uzbekistan is illegal, but prostitution has increased within the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union. UNAIDS estimated there to be 22,000 sex workers in the country in 2019. Many of the women have turned to prostitution in Uzbekistan because of poverty.

Prostitution in Tajikistan is legal, but related activities such as soliciting, procuring and brothel keeping are prohibited. Prostitution has increased within the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union. UNAIDS estimate there are 14,100 female sex workers in Tajikistan. Government official figures for 2015 were 1,777 prostitutes and 194 brothels. Prostitution occurs on the streets and in bars, restaurants, nightclubs and saunas, and HIV prevalence is 3.5% amongst sex workers.

Prostitution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is legal but related activities are prohibited. The Congolese penal code punishes pimping, running a bawdy house or brothel, the exploitation of debauchery or prostitution, as well as forced prostitution. Activities that incite minors or promote the prostitution of others have been criminalised. The government does little to enforce the law. During the colonial era and the years that followed independence, the Ministry of Health issued calling cards identifying professional sex workers and provided them with medical health checks. However, this system was abandoned in the 1980s. Public order laws are sometimes used against sex workers. Street prostitutes report harassment, violence and extortion from the police. UNAIDS estimated there are 2.9 million sex workers in the country.

Prostitution in Niger is illegal but common in the cities, near mines and around military bases. UNAIDS estimate there are 46,630 sex workers in the country. Many have turned to prostitution because of poverty.

Prostitution in Botswana is not illegal, but laws such as public disorder, vagrancy, loitering and state recognised religious provisions are used to prosecute prostitutes. Related activities such as soliciting and brothel keeping are illegal. Botswana has made proposals to make prostitution legal to prevent the spread of AIDS. However, there has been mass opposition to it by the Catholic Church. Prostitution is widespread and takes place on the street, bars, hotels, brothels and the cabs of long-distance trucks.

Prostitution in Angola is illegal and prevalent since the 1990s. Prostitution increased further at the end of the civil war in 2001. Prohibition is not consistently enforced. Many women engage in prostitution due to poverty. It was estimated in 2013 that there were about 33,00 sex workers in the country. Many Namibian women enter the country illegally, often via the border municipality of Curoca, and travel to towns such as Ondjiva, Lubango and Luanda to work as prostitutes.

Prostitution in Guinea-Bissau is common and there are no prostitution laws. In 2016 it was estimated there were 3,138 prostitutes in the country. Often it is associated with other crimes: Many pimps are also reported to be drug dealers. Poverty leads many women to be tempted into prostitution and cocaine addiction.

Prostitution in Ivory Coast is legal, but associated activities, such as soliciting, pandering or running brothels, are illegal. Sex workers report law enforcement is sparse and corrupt. Police sometimes harass sex workers and demand bribes or sexual favours. Transgender prostitutes are often targeted by police and soldiers and subjected to violence. It was estimated in 2014 that there were 9,211 prostitutes in the country.

Prostitution in Benin is legal but related activities such as brothel keeping and benefiting from the prostitution of others are illegal. UNAIDS estimates there to be about 15,000 prostitutes in the country. Most of these are migrants from neighbouring countries, mainly Nigeria, Togo and Ghana. Only 15% of the prostitutes are Beninese. Prostitution occurs on the streets, in bars, restaurants, hotels and brothels. With advent of the smartphone, many prostitutes use apps to make arrangements with clients.

Prostitution in Somalia is officially illegal. There is generally very little voluntary prostitution in the country according to the African Medical Research and Education Foundation (AMREF). UNAIDS estimated there were 10,957 sex workers in Somalia in 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sex Work Law - Countries". Sexuality, Poverty and Law. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "The Legal Status of Prostitution by Country". ChartsBin. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "Prostitution in Livingstone still rife". Zambia Daily Mail. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ↑ "Sex workers: Population size estimate - Number, 2016". www.aidsinfoonline.org. UNAIDS. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  5. ↑ Ncube, Sipilisiwe (29 November 2017). "Poverty pushing prostitution, abortion to alarming levels – activist". Zambia: News Diggers!. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Too Much Prostitution IN Lusaka Colleges". Kitwe Times. 15 January 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "Executive Summary Zambia" (PDF). ECPAT . Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  8. ↑ "The history of HIV and AIDS in Zambia". May 13, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Zambia 2016 Country Factsheet". www.unaids.org. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 "Zambia 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2018.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Walya, Mazala, Kaonga. "For pleasure and profit:Sex Work in Zambia,c.1880-1964" (PDF). University of Zambia. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "Prostitutes celebrate Zambia's win by offering free sex". The Namibian. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Zambia Ranked 7th In World HIV Prevalence Rate…1.2 million Zambians living with AIDS". Tumfweko. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "HIV and Aids in Zambia 2015". SES-Zambia. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "HIV prevalence amongst sex workers". www.aidsinfoonline.org. UNAIDS. 2016. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  16. ↑ "Zambia 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
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