Prostitution in the Central African Republic

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Prostitution in the Central African Republic is legal and commonplace. [1] [2] Procuring [1] or profiting off the prostitution of others is illegal, as is coercing people into prostitution. Punishment is a fine and up to one year in prison, or 5 years if the case involves a minor. [2]

Contents

Human trafficking and Child prostitution is a problem in the country. [2] [3] A study published in 2017 [3] found that about two thirds of the prostitutes in the capitol, Bangui, worked part-time to supplement their income or to pay school and college fees. Some of the full-time prostitutes visit hotels, bars and nightclubs looking for wealthy clients, especially French men. They are known as "pupulenge" (dragonflies) or "gba moundjou" (look at the white). Those who work in the poorer neighbourhoods are known as "kata". [3]

The same survey found the age of the full-time prostitutes ranged from 16 to 30 and most (90%) came from the Central African Republic. Others came from the Congo, Chad and Cameroon. [3]

HIV

Condoms in the country are rare, [3] as they are in other sub-Saharan countries. [4] As a result infections of HIV and other STIs are high amongst sex workers in the country. [3] UNAIDS estimated that in 2016, 9.2% of the sex workers in the country were infected by HIV. [5] Other sources put the rate of infection higher. [6]

Child Prostitution

Child Prostitution is a problem in the country, [3] [2] and no statutory rape laws to protect minors.

Some young women and girls enter the trade without third party involvement for survival [2] or to pay school/college fees. [3] Others become prostitutes or mistresses of wealthy men to earn money for their families. [2] There is also evidence of commercial sexual exploitation of children, either internally or to and from other countries in the area. [2] [7]

In 2016, reports emerged of abuse by UN Peacekeeping personnel. It was alleged that peacekeepers from Gabon, Morocco, Burundi, and France had paid for sex with girls as young as 13 at a camp for displaced persons near Bangui. Previously peacekeepers had been accused of 22 other instances of abuse or sexual exploitation. [3] [8]

Sex trafficking

The Central African Republic is a source and destination country for children subjected to trafficking in persons including forced prostitution. Most child victims are trafficked within the country, but a smaller number move back and forth from Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan. [9]

There are no specific laws in the country to deal with human trafficking, but traffickers can be prosecuted under legislation dealing with prostitution, slavery, sexual exploitation, labour code violations, and mandatory school age. [2]

U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons upgraded the country in from 'Tier 3' [10] to "Tier 2 Watch List" in 2018. [11]

Related Research Articles

Prostitution in Paraguay is legal for persons over the age of 18, but related activities such as brothel keeping are prohibited. Prostitution is common in the country. Brothels are also common, even some rural villages have a small bar/brothel on the outskirts.

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 Kenya is widespread. The legal situation is complex. Although prostitution is not criminalised by National law, municipal by-laws may prohibit it.. It is illegal to profit from the prostitution of others, and to aid, abet, compel or incite prostitution.. UNAIDS estimate there to be 133,675 prostitutes in the country.

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

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 Burkina Faso is not specifically prohibited by the law, but soliciting and pimping are illegal. Burkinabe society only accepts sexual intercourse within marriage. In 2009, Voice of America reported that the number of prostitutes in Burkina Faso had increased as a result of the country's poverty. The increase in prostitution has given rise to fears of an increase in the number of Burkinabés infected with HIV and AIDS. UNAIDS estimate there to be 31,000 prostitutes in the country.

<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 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 Mozambique is legal and widely practiced, and the country also contains illegal brothels. The majority of the population remains below the poverty line, a situation which provides fertile soil for the development of prostitution. In Mozambique, as in many poor countries, the government is responsible for monitoring sex workers, and data on the number of prostitutes in Mozambique is not available. UNAIDS estimate there to be 13,554 prostitutes in the country.

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 33,000 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 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 Malawi is legal and prevalent around hotels and bars in urban and tourist areas. Living off the proceeds of prostitution is illegal. In 2015, it was estimated there were 20,000 sex workers 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 Chad is illegal but common, especially in the urban centres and the south of the country. UNAIDS estimates there are 1,200 prostitutes in the country. Many are from Cameroon.

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.

Prostitution in South Sudan is legal but related activities such as soliciting or brothel-keeping are illegal.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Legal Status of Prostitution by Country". Charts Bin. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Central African Republic". State.gov. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Longo, J. D; Simaléko, M. M; Ngbale, R; Grésenguet, G; Brücker, G; Bélec, L (2017). "Spectrum of female commercial sex work in Bangui, Central African Republic". Sahara-J. 14 (1): 171–184. doi:10.1080/17290376.2017.1394907. PMC   5678296 . PMID   29092678.
  4. ↑ Maticka-Tyndale, E (2012). "Condoms in sub-Saharan Africa". Sexual Health. 9 (1): 59–72. doi: 10.1071/SH11033 . PMID   22348634.
  5. ↑ "HIV prevalence amongst sex workers". www.aidsinfoonline.org. UNAIDS. 2016. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Sepulveda, Jaime; Fineberg, H.V.; Mann, Jonathan M., eds. (1992). AIDS : prevention through education : a world view. New York, N.Y. ; Oxford: Oxford university press. p. 451. ISBN   978-0195082074.
  7. ↑ Maalla, Dr Najat (2008). "Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in West and Central Africa" (PDF). UNICEF West & Central Africa Regional Office. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  8. ↑ Lucy Westcott (12 January 2016). "U.N. says peacekeepers paid 50 cents for sex with 13-year-olds: report". Newsweek.
  9. ↑ "Central African Republic". Trafficking in Persons Report 2010. U.S. Department of State (14 June 2010)
  10. ↑ "Trafficking in Persons Report 2017: Tier Placements". www.state.gov. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "Central African Republic 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
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