Nigeria’s Kid Prostitutes –Their Sobering Story

 

Published on March 28, 2011 by TheNEWS   ·   2 Comments

It is unfortunate that kid prostitution has taken an ugly dimension across the country (Kid Prostitutes – Their Sobering Story, TheNEWS, 21 March 2011 edition). Before this report, not many Nigerians believed that kid prostitution was rife in the country. I commend you guys for doing a thorough research to get the facts. The report is informative and educating. I blame the kids’ plight on the dwindling economic situation in the country.
Joy Akele,
Benin-City.

I must say I was flabbergasted to read about the dismal level child prostitution has reached in Nigeria. It is incredible that these little girls are no longer afraid of staying the night outside their homes. Instead, they have resorted to plying their acquired immoral trade along the road, in brothels and even spending the night in strange homes. Judging by the way things are going in the country, there is no stopping the trend due to widespread poverty and high rate of school dropout. It is sad and shameful.
Victoria Edidem,
Oron.

The truth of the matter is that kid prostitution is a social malaise in Nigeria. But who are to blame—parents, the kids themselves, or the men who patronise them? To me, parents need to live up to their responsibilities. They should go all out to make sure they are able to provide the basic things their kids need. When they do this, most of the kids will not take to the street and brothels to sell their bodies in order to survive. While prostitution may not be the best way out, it, however, affords them enough money to settle their immediate needs. Some people talk about them engaging in proper work. What are their qualifications and where are the jobs? We all know that small scale companies, road side stores and the like do not follow the minimum wage policy here in Nigeria?
As for the men who patronise these teenage prostitutes and the owners of the brothels that accommodate them, they have no conscience. They are just selfish. Parents should try as much as possible to provide the basic needs for their kids as this is the only way they can cultivate a dignified lifestyle.
Joseph Ajebina,
Ogbomoso.

I must commend you for the marvlelous report on kid prostitutes you presented in your 21 March edition. The story is germane to our society. It is both informative and educative to parents who did not know the kind of lifestyle their children were leading and how dangerous it is.
Tolani Jinadu,
Abeokuta.

I agree with your magazine that Nigeria is in trouble considering the growing trend of child prostitution across the country. The sad thing is that almost everybody in the society shares the blame for creating the conditions for the depressing situation to thrive.
First, parents whose kids are in the streets fending for themselves are to blame for failing to provide the basic needs of their children. If these child prostitutes get what they want, most of them definitely will not go into the trade as early as they do.
The children themselves are to blame for choosing the fast lane to get to the top. No matter what people are saying, there still are noble jobs out there. The only setback is that the pay is small. There is nothing wrong if these kids settle for low paying jobs instead of selling their bodies for money.
Above all, governments over the years are to blame for bastardising the economy. The economy is so bad these days that husbands now send their wives out to sell their bodies so that they can survive. Are you surprised? It is true, especially in Lagos and Abuja.
Akeem Akintobi,
Ile-Ife.

I agree that prostitution among girls between 12 and 18 years is on the increase across the country. But I do not blame these kids as they are forced into the trade by circumstances. Take a situation whereby a 12-year-old girl is left alone at home all day with no food to eat, and next to her parents’ room lives a bachelor who cooks tantalising dishes emitting a strong aroma that makes her to salivate. What should she do; pretend she is not perceiving the aroma?
Now if the girl and the bachelor decide to use what they have to get what they want, they both will end  up in bed, won’t they? This is how child prostitution begins. Welcome to the reality on ground in Nigeria today. Sorry, there is nothing anybody can do about the situation because of the economic realities on ground.
Taiwo Mogaji,
Port-Harcourt.

After reading your cover story on Nigeria’s kid prostitutes in your 21 March edition, I came to the conclusion that we may write whatever we want, cry or shout as much as we can, but nobody can stop the practice which has been with us for years. This explains why pregnant teenagers are on the increase. But how can one know their true ages when nowadays children are growing at an alarming rate and they are very good at declaring false ages in order to be admitted into places they otherwise should not be.
Adenike Atanda,
Ijebu-Ode.

As always, it takes two to tango. If these kid prostitutes do not have people patronising them, they definitely will stop lining up along the streets and going to brothels to sell their bodies. If only it was possible to stop those foolish men who run after them for sex from doing so, the future of our female children would be better.
Sesan Omoniyi,
Lagos.

The prevalence of kid prostitution in Nigeria is a reflection of the immorality and misplaced values among members of the society. Agreed, the trend has always been there, but it was not this pronounced. I think our leaders are to blame for the growing trend.
Umaru Mohammed,
Sokoto.

It is hard to believe that some people can condescend as low as engaging kids as prostitutes either to satisfy their sexual urge or for financial reasons. This goes a long way to show  that the moral values our forefathers held high are disregarded by our people today. Unless action is taken to stop this ugly trend, our values will be lost in no time.
Niran Adebiyi,
Ibadan.

Prostitution, as old as it is, has never been seen as a dignified profession in any sense. Now the involvement of teenagers in the trade is making it even more terrible. It is a pity that this immorality is now festering in our society. I fear for the children of the poor who are forced or deceived into getting involved in the trade. What hope is there for them, considering the sorry state of the country’s economy today?
Festus Obanla,
Lagos.

It is both illegal and immoral for anybody to keep any female child under his roof for the purpose of using her to satisfy the sexual desire of men for a profit. The owners of the brothels where kids are harboured to perform this act should be arrested promptly and prosecuted. Those patronising them should also be arrested and made to face the music.
Ibrahim Lawal,
Bida.

It is glaring that most of the kid prostitutes are from broken homes or homes so disorganised that nobody cares what the other person is doing. It is difficult to see children of responsible––not necessarily rich––families becoming wayward to the extent of becoming prostitutes. The only way out of this malaise is for us to go back to our old family values whereby whoever brought disgrace to the family was treated as an outcast and not what we practise now—whoever brings money, whether by crook or hook, is treated as a hero or heroine.
Comfort Peters,
Port-Harcourt.

The younger, the sweeter. Is this really true? Is this why men now go for young, even under-aged, girls? I pity people who partake in a thing like this. I do not see anything special in having sex with somebody I know would suffer physical and emotional pains because of my size and her tenderness, just because I believe the younger the lady the sweeter. Whoever believes there is something special in doing so is abnormal. The person is mad. It is only a mad man that will not feel remorse sleeping with a child. Their perverted minds need psychological and spiritual cleansing. What sort of evil drives them?
Michael Ibikunle,
Ibadan.

I must confess that I found the cover story on Nigeria’s kid prostitutes very disheartening. It is very sad that some people find pleasure in turning teenage girls into prostitutes. Parents and guardians of teenage girls, especially those from very poor families, should endeavour to guide their children to cherish moral values, which would help them gain the respect of the society.
Ngozi Ezenwa,
Abakaliki.

Your story on child prostitution shows clearly that the ‘End Time’ is near. I am not surprised at all. The girls are only fulfilling the scriptures. The Bible has predicted all these things, even the tsunami and fighting in Libya and other countries. Only God can rescue these growing kid prostitutes from our streets.
Adaora Oba,
Owerri.