Arusha, Iringa sex workers on the rise
What you need to know:
- The report titled “Children Living and Working in the Streets (CLWS)” was released after a study that covered 10,595 girls out of which 6,393 were children under the age of 18 years.
Dar es Salaam. The number of young girls engaged sex work is on the rise in Arusha and Iringa, a new report shows.
The report titled “Children Living and Working in the Streets (CLWS)” was released after a study that covered 10,595 girls out of which 6,393 were children under the age of 18 years.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Sihaba Nkinga launched the report in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
The report was prepared by Railway Children Africa (RCA) between March and December,last year, covering Arusha, Iringa, Mbeya, Dodoma, Mwanza and Dar es Salaam regions.
The findings of the report indicate that Arusha had 38 per cent of underage sex workers as Iringa topped the list with 41 per cent. It further said that high number of underage sex workers in Iringa was caused by a big number of transit drivers.
“At night girls aged between 15 and 18 flock various streets searching for customers,” said report.
Whem presenting their findings, RCA training and practical development officer Fred Mbise said there is a need for a special programme, which will help bring the girls back to classes.
The RCA East Africa Regional Director, Dr Peter Kent, said the issue of children living in streets was sensitive because a lot of them make unguided decisions at tender ages.
