Prostitute – the word leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the “morally upright”. The prostitute is an abnormality, an abomination and rarely are her needs considered. What many fail to see-hidden behind the tainted glasses of sex and sin are the fears, hopes, aspiration and the very humanity that comes to bear when we are stripped of our judgmental lenses. So I set-out with nothing but a camera and a clear mission to delve into the lives of these women; to gain a deeper insight into the challenges they face in their line of work – to hear their story. And the results were shocking!
I arrive at ‘Tsinai-Agbe’, Ashaiman’s bandit area infamous for the innumerous sex workers, drug pushers and pimps who live their lives on the downside of the law, at exactly three-thirty pm. The street where I stand is crowded with taxis, hawkers and make shift shops competing with each other for space and attention of passers-by each yelling, hailing and thrusting their commodities into the faces of potential buyers – practicallydoing anything to get their goods sold.
And as I made my way deeper into the forbidden camp, the backdrop of the hails of traders intermingled with loud “promotional” music blaredgave way to a surprising calm. The narrow paths which wormed their way into the plethora of shacks and cubicles was abandoned but for two men who were headed in the same direction. Well, they were probably there for investigative reasons also.
Navigating my way through the meandering paths that span the length of the brothel, I came across a bar from which music and cigarette smoke oozed out in equal measure. Here, I found prostitutes mingling or rather sitting atop and being fondled by a few men whose gentle confidence gave me the impression of pimps who were “testing out’’ the product. Finding the environment unfavorable for an interview and I moved further away from the spot where I was been looked at in askance already.
A few meters later, I found Susanne. She wore no makeup which was surprising as it seemed an imperative of those in this line of work. I found out that it was because her “hours” had not yet began. But when duty called she had to answer, so she invited me in when I indicated interest in making a purchase.
Susanne was rather on the slim side and she wore a black and tight fitting black dress that was cut at the sides to show a good part of her abdomen just high enough to hide the groin.
She asked me to sit in front of the makeshift cubicle that was just large enough to contain a mattress. It was both abode and place of work. After quickly washing her face it was time to discuss the terms.
The transaction process was simple – the customer would announce the amount of time he wanted to spend ‘on her body’ and she would reply with the price. A bargain then ensued till the cost was hewn down to an amount that was acceptable to both parties, more often than not the customer stood to benefit than the prostitute. It was only after when this preliminary had been satisfied that the service could be provided.
So I played along, not wanting to draw more attention than was absolutely necessary. I was ‘going’ for an hour, I announced in the best pidgin I could stitch together. Around these parts being a newbie wasn’t too safe so I had to blend in. She nodded her head and said something along the lines of taking ten cedis (GH 10) for the service.
I found out that she was from Rivers State in Nigeria. And then I asked her how long she had been in this job – a sudden change in demeanor and minute long silence thereafter served to indicate that I had touched a nerve. Fortunately for me she told me she had been in the business for ten years. And she didn’t look a day older than twenty-nine.
She had at this point gotten suspicious of my real intentions and decided to ask me out of her ‘room’. And although she may not have said so directly I realized that she was afraid that she had said too much and was trying to avoid any consequences that may have followed.
So I was back to the very beginning. But I thought it wouldn’t be for long after I met, or rather was caught and held in a vice-like hold by Favor whilst her friend who I will later come to know as Beatrice looked on. According to them, they were from Delta state. But when I asked about how long they had done the job I was sent packing in grand style. I literally had to flee in the wake of the barrage of insults that were hurled my way.
Thirty minutes later, I roamed among the shacks a less hopeful but nevertheless wiser man. And then I found Cynthia, sitting on a stool in front of a shack whose length in entirety was less than five paces of my foot. She was staring blankly at the ground, obvious lost in thought. She responded encouragingly to my greeting and in the long run decided to speak to me.
Speaking to Cynthia gave me an unadulterated view into the daily struggles of the sex-worker that I had overlooked. Well not anymore.
DISEASE
It is no surprise that after living and working in an environment plagued with dirt and unsanitary conditions disease will come knocking. However the choice of work increases the health risks experienced by these women, leaving them ever more vulnerable to the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases. The only thing that stood between a sex-worker and the contraction of deadly disease was the millimeter-thick condoms that were all too likely to break. To top it off, most of these women relied on self-medication taking all sorts of concoctions as response to ailments, which served to further complicate matters.
POVERTY
Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime, (Aristotle). And for most of thesewomen poverty is the biggest factor behind their introduction into prostitution. Cynthia revealed that she, just like most people in the shacks, partook in prostitution to gather money to send back home. Yet it seemed that entering into prostitution did little to improve their fortunes. If nothing, they found themselves in more abject poverty than that in which they sought to flee from.
VIOLENCE
As aforementioned, a deal had to be struck before any sexual activity could occur. However, speaking to Yen.com Cynthia admitted that in the event of a violation of the terms by the customer, a disagreement could ensue. She admitted that some of such disagreements ended in horrible acts of violence that ended in fatal injuries.
INSECURITY
The Ashaiman municipality, infamous for the notoriety of some of its inhabitants is crawling with gangs, thugs and derelicts of all kind. And for these prostitutes living in the midst of all these dangers, everyday has them living in fear of the worst. When we asked about how these women coped with the danger surrounding their existence a shocking discovery was made. Allegedly, one source claims, contributions were made to the ‘top prostitutes’ who paid the local Police for protection. An official at the local station a few meters from the slum however, denied having any knowledge on the operations of the prostitutes in the area.
Every job comes with its equal share of physical and psychological toil. But when your body is literally used to provide sexual pleasure to another on a daily basis you are left with emotional and psychological scars that can last a lifetime.Yet these women on our streets remain, through hardship and abuse they live – determined to press on.
By: Kojo Yorke
