Over 5000 underage girls in commercial sex work at Kenyas coast Study

Underage girls (aged between 10 to 17 years) from Kwale County are being exploited through commercial sex, a recent study has received.

SCOPE (Strengthening Community Partnership and Empowerment) statistics indicate that 400 girls are involved in commercial sex in Kwale County, and 5000 in the entire coastal region.

This has been attributed to the high levels of poverty in the region, which have seen parents let their children fend for themselves.

“It has been found out that the girls receive fish, traditional palm wine (locally known as mangwe) and various other needs in exchange of sexual favours. They share their day’s findings with their parents and siblings and this is very unfortunate,” SCOPE’s program coordinator Emmanuel Kahaso told Citizen Digital.

Citizen Digital met Fatma at the Gazi Fish Port in Msambweni where she has been selling her body to the anglers in exchange of fish.

“I started this business when I was 14 years old. My parents are poor and sometimes depend on us (the children) to help fend for the family,” she said.

“I get about a kilogram of fish in exchange for my body. This is an equivalent of about Sh200 which is hardly sufficient for the family.”

Fatma says she was influenced by her peers who engaged in the act way before her. According to her, they seemed well off and were able to cater for some of their daily needs, so this enticed her.

Iddi Bomani, the village chairman, says that since the economic activities of the area are fishing, the girls get an easy way of involving themselves in the business.

“We have been trying to sensitise them on the dangers of indulging in the activities, but parents seem to encourage the vice due to poverty,” he said.

In Mrongotoni, village dens (mangwe) of the traditional palm brew (mnazi), acts a hub for the child commercial sex workers.

The village chairman says there are seven mangwes in the village where girls work as attenders and later in the evening engage in commercial sex.

Riziki says she charges her clients Sh300 while another says she was forced to engage in the act after her mother passed on.

“Hardship at home drove me to indulge in commercial sex,” Riziki says.

These girls go to different taarab discos in the area where they find potential clients.

SCOPE has however now moved to try and eradicate the vice.

Kahaso says they have sensitised 160 parents to be in the forefront in fighting commercial sex amongst children.

“We are also educating them on dangers of engaging in unprotected sex,” he stated.