admin
Theseus Shambare
Epworth is never short of captivating stories.
Among some of Epworth’s notables is the “pool of death” (the notorious quarry dam) and the “booster”.
Whilst infrastructural development is commendable, paBooster has become a curse to Epworth.
A visitor to Epworth, unless they specify which particular booster they want to get to, may easily find their way to the exceptionally notorious booster which is situated just a kilometre from the equally popular Solani Shops, which has become a thriving meeting, or mating point for those in the oldest profession.
Ladies of the night crawl out of their shacks to ply their fleshy wares to willing buyers at those points.
Commercial sex workers roam the area, soliciting for potential clients as early as 6 pm.
When one takes a closer look in that looming darkness, they see a number of young girls, some only 12 years old.
These young souls have shocking and mouth-drying stories to tell.
For only a few coins, the girls sell their bodies to get extra cash for lunch and pocket money.
“These days if you are a girl and you still beg your parents for money to do your hair or for pocket money, you are foolish and backward,” said a skimpily dressed Lisa (16).
To Lisa, sex work has become a way of life since a year ago when she was introduced to it by an elderly neighbour, whom she referred to as Sister Lucy.
“I was introduced to this ‘trade’ by Sister Lucy last year and l realised that it is easy for me to make my own money without my parents’ knowledge,” she explained.
Ignorance is an environmental pollution, so goes the saying.
In an environment where the dogma is “unprotected sex pays”, these young girls are prone to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies, yet they do not seem to care.
“Elder men pay more as they prefer unprotected sex. They can pay any amount between $10 and $15,” added Lisa.
However, Bridget, another “pleasure manager” at paBooster tells a different story.
She says she has no choice but to use her “gifts” due to the gruelling effects of the prevailing biting economy.
“My mother passed away a decade ago and my father lost his job last year. Looking after myself and my little sister had become difficult,” said Bridget.
She said young girls are usually the centre of attraction as men prefer to quench their sexual desire with the “fresh” girls, rather than the elderly ladies.
“A 50-cent coin means a lot to me. I can use it to buy a bundle of vegetables for our supper. As a young girl, it is so easy to get clients,” she added.
Most of the young girls lead two lives. They are school students during the day and sex workers during the night.
Mrs Bonda, a senior citizen in the area, blamed the law.
“If these girls knew that they could be arrested for loitering and soliciting, the level of sex work would not have reached these alarming levels,” she said.
Speaking at one of the recently held youth gatherings, Methodist Church Tertiary Education Chaplin, Reverend Joyce Chakanya said it is the joint role of parents and religious leaders to mould children with Christian values. She said this should be done from early stages such as the Early Childhood Development (ECD) up to tertiary level so that children will be able to draw a line between the good and the bad.
“It is our joint mandate as parents and religious leaders to instil Christian values in our children so that we build an immoral-free community,” said Rev Chakanya.
“We should teach our children to handle hardships. It’s high time they learn to dance in the rain,” she said.
Online Reporter