One of the most striking things about the situation is how young the girls involved in street- based sex work are. In fact many are so young they must be pre-pubescent or peripubescent.
There are some possible explanations: the older children have become entrenched in sex work and are less accessible; the older children have moved out of sex work, into the garment industry; the older girls have moved into hotel / brothel based sex work - which is legal - as soon as it is possible to falsify their age as 18 and obtain the requisite court affidavit authorising them to engage in sex work.
However, this also raises the question of why is there a demand for girls of such a young age. The clients presumably must know that these children have not reached physical maturity and are therefore considered children by both legal and cultural standards. The social workers gave two reasons why a client might prefer a child to an adult: adult sex workers work predominantly in the legal hotel based sex work and this is more expensive so some people will seek the cheaper option - children involved in street based sex work; and children are easier to manipulate and so will do whatever you ask of them. There do not appear to be any beliefs promoting sex with children, such as the belief in Southern Africa that sex with a virgin will cure HIV.
So, is this demand for sex with children indicative of paedophilia (sexual attraction to children) or can it be explained through a cultural or other basis? It's an interesting question given that there is no local word for paedophilia.
There are some possible explanations: the older children have become entrenched in sex work and are less accessible; the older children have moved out of sex work, into the garment industry; the older girls have moved into hotel / brothel based sex work - which is legal - as soon as it is possible to falsify their age as 18 and obtain the requisite court affidavit authorising them to engage in sex work.
However, this also raises the question of why is there a demand for girls of such a young age. The clients presumably must know that these children have not reached physical maturity and are therefore considered children by both legal and cultural standards. The social workers gave two reasons why a client might prefer a child to an adult: adult sex workers work predominantly in the legal hotel based sex work and this is more expensive so some people will seek the cheaper option - children involved in street based sex work; and children are easier to manipulate and so will do whatever you ask of them. There do not appear to be any beliefs promoting sex with children, such as the belief in Southern Africa that sex with a virgin will cure HIV.
So, is this demand for sex with children indicative of paedophilia (sexual attraction to children) or can it be explained through a cultural or other basis? It's an interesting question given that there is no local word for paedophilia.
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