Botswana September 2006 |
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| Tales Of A Sex Worker, (Mmegi, 2006-09-11):-She does not want her identity revealed or her picture taken but the 25-year-old is willing to explain what she does for a living. She prefers to be called Dorcus to hide her identity from her family. For three years, she has been a commercial sex worker and nobody in her family, including the aunt she stays with knows about her profession. "In my spare time I sell sweets and they all think that business is rewarding enough to provide for me and them too," she says. Previously she was a cleaner with a number of companies, some of which left her high and dry after they relocated to Kasane and Maun. Last week, she was a star at the Francistown City Council (FCC) when with two other commercial sex workers, she addressed a full council meeting. Of the three, she is the most receptive. "I am HIV positive and I sell sex," she had earlier told the full council while keeping eye contact. Though commercial sex is illegal in Botswana she is confident enough to say that she is engaged in the illicit trade. Dorcus' parents died when she was a teenager and she asserts that circumstances beyond her control forced her to enter the world of commercial sex. She says that nowadays orphans can afford to stay in school even after their parents' death because the government has programmes aimed at helping them. Dorcus explains that her friends introduced her to commercial sex work and she has never looked back. When she started, her charges were very low and as she became entrenched in the business, she raised her prices. She confesses that even though her career is risky, she has no intention of quitting anytime soon as she has a five-year-old baby to take care of. Dorcus is also a peer educator working for Matshelo Community Development Association. She helps other women like her get information about her trade and other aspects of life. As a peer educator, she has to act as an example to other women and stop engaging in commercial sex but she has chosen to keep her night job. "I cannot afford to quit my work as a commercial sex worker. I mean I make so much money than those people who work in the offices," she points out. Dorcus is able to make at least P2,500 a month. The figure goes higher during months with public holidays. She charges about P75 per hour for her services but it all depends if the client looks like he has money. She gives discounts to deserving customers, meaning she can take P50 or less. For those interested in a night-long session of passion with her, the charges range from P350 and more. "Ga gona nako ya go romancer fa motho a nthekile hour hela, ga ke bate go dielwa nako. O ka mpa a nromensa metsotso ele lesome hela (If a man has paid for an hour, there is really no time to caresses because I don't entertain people who waste my time. He can caress me for 10 minutes but not more than that)." She explains that she knows how to pretend she is interested in sex just to make the client at ease. Her counterparts from Zimbabwe are said to charge P20 an hour but Dorcus claims that she would rather give herself to someone for free than charge P20. She explains that Zimbabwean women are forced by hunger to lower their prices. Her family does not know she is a commercial sex worker so where does she service her clients? "We sleep anywhere we find suitable. Be it his place, the car, the truck if he is a truck driver but definitely not my place." Dorcus adds that she has regular customers she gives service on credit. "Ke a ba kolotisa hela sentle ka gore ke a itse gore ba tsile go ntuela (I just give them on credit knowing very well that they will pay me)." However she is quick to point out that nowadays she has improved as she only trades on weekends. "These days I have a boyfriend and the Matshelo Community Development Project is keeping me busy so I don't have time to go out during the week." She says she has never experienced abuse from customers, however, she says there is a man she will never forget. He refused to use a condom and she told him she would charge him P150 per hour. To her surprise, the man offered to pay her P350 and made good on his promise. The following day she was very sick and could not get up. "I think that man was on ARV's and he gave me a different kind of HIV which was why I felt so ill." She says some men do not like using condoms though nowadays most of them do. Her clients are mainly married men. Some of these men engage in commercial sex when their wives are away. Dorcus used to stay in Orapa and Letlhakane where she says men have a lot of money to spend on commercial sex workers. She appeals to younger women not to follow her path and be brave enough to overcome the challenges in their lives. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |