Wahala dey oh! A community based organization of s*x workers, Ohotu Diamond Women Initiative (ODWI) has
called on the Nigerian Police to stop abuse on sex workers. In a statement by the
group, they lamented over what they termed the widely misunderstanding status
about s*x work:
.
“The illegal status of s*x work in most countries, including Nigeria has not eradicated prosti-tution. Instead, criminalization has increased s*x workers
vulnerability to human rights abuses and
created fertile ground for police
exploitation, especially of brothel and
street-based s*x workers.
“S*x workers deserve the basic respect and
protection from violence that each nation
owes its citizens. But in many settings,
police abuse of s*x workers receives scant
public attention despite its entrenched
global reality. Street and brothel-based
female s*x workers, one of Lagos and Abuja most vulnerable populations, find
themselves targeted for arrest by police, and they experience high levels of violence
that go unpunished.
,
Current city and law enforcement policies
towards s*x workers create a cycle of
arrest that does not result in appropriate or
long term solutions for the community or
s*x workers,” the statement reads.
On the challenges s*x workers face, the Ashawo group said: “The challenge that we
face as 50 participants from different L.G.As
are almost similar. Many of us face violence
and discrimination on a regular basis.
,
Regardless of which State or tribe we are
from, many of us have experienced being
r*ped, verbally, emotionally and physically
abused by police, clients and community
members.
“There is an unfair discrimination from
service providers. S*x workers are not
protected or defended by the law when
they are exploited and abused.
,
We demand that these violations stop immediately and
decisive action is taken against
perpetrators.”
The statement further revealed how s*x
workers suffer abuse from the Nigerian
Police Officers.
,
“Thirty percent of s*x workers interviewed
said that they had been threatened with
violence by police officers, while 27%
actually experienced violence at the hands
of police. Reported incidents included
officers physically grabbing and kicking, as
well as beating them; one incident of r*pe;
one woman was stalked by a police officer;
and throwing food at one subject.
S*xual harassment included handling of
body parts; giving women cigarettes in
exchange for s*x; and police offering not
to arrest s*x workers in exchange for
s*xual services.
.
“Several times Police have raided our
hotels; beating, stealing and having s*x
with us without protection.”
To curtail the abuses s*x workers suffer
from Policemen, the Executive Director of
Safe Haven Development Initiative, Ms
Margaret Onah has criticised the method of
which Policemen uses to extort money
from s*x workers and abuse.
According to Onah, the Nigerian Policemen
are not mindful of the fundamental human
rights that should be accorded to s*x
workers.
“It is dehumanising when Policemen
abuses s*x workers the way they do. We
are using this channel to voice out our
pains in the course of survival. The
government needs to do something about
it. It is better if s*x workers are charged to
court than naming them, harassing them,
stealing their money, stealing their
properties, and having s*x with them
unprotected.”
On what could be done to end the abuse by
Policemen, Ms Margaret said: “the Police
needs to re-strategise. The fact that s*x
work is illegal doesn’t mean that they
should kill anyone find doing the job. S*x
workers are citizen of this country first of
all, and they need to be respected like every
other citizen.”
One of the Ashawo girls, Esther Eghosa
said: “Time without numbers, the
Policemen break our doors to start packing
us like goats to the station. If you don’t
have money to bail yourself, they will say
they want to sleep with you unprotected
which is very bad.
Eghosa, who is a s*x worker, further stress
that, “As a woman in the brothel, we
protect ourselves, we use condoms, but
with the Policemen, you don’t have a say.”
.
See every thing happening in nigeria @ www.seemynaija.com
.
Source: http://seemynaija.com/2016/06/policemen-sleeping-with-us-without-using-condoms-ashawo-girls-cry-out/

Wia your source?

OP, source or I give you a hard painful knock on ya head.

no offence but i think sex workers shouldnt be given the right to speak in public

ikbnice:
OP, source or I give you a hard painful knock on ya head.

lol