DOCSLIB.ORG

Prostitution in Africa: a Sociological Study of Eritrea (North East Africa)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Prostitution in Africa: a Sociological Study of Eritrea (North East Africa) Indian Streams Research Journal Vol.2,Issue.II/March; 12pp.1-4 Dr. Md. Arshad ISSN:-2230-7850 Research Papers Prostitution in Africa: A sociological Study of Eritrea (North East Africa) Dr. Md. Arshad Institute of Social Sciences Dr. B.R.Ambedkar University Agra, India Abstract Prostitution is a trade as old as mankind is a worldwide phenomenon that is not unique to any specific time. However, its level of prevalence in society and peoples attitude towards it varied according to socio-cultural, economic and political conditions. Some scholars think that prostitution is a necessary social evil because it protects innocent girls and women against rape and the men can have another outlet for sexual relief(Rattanwanaship,1991).others think that prostitution is not only a question related to morality but is also associated with other serious issues of alcohol, drug and crime. Secondly, in contemporary times, it may pose a serious threat to public health because of HIV/AIDS spread. Thirdly, it undermines the institution of marriage and family. Introduction: overall impact of the rehabilitation efforts carried Prostitution is perceived as a serious threat out by different governmental and non- for women and children. Every year millions of governmental bodies. women and children enter into prostitution. The first part of the paper deals with Especially in developing countries a large number historical emergence of CSW in Eritrea. of children and women are drived into prostitution Prostitution is a century experience in Eritrean because of economic reasons. society. Colonization was one of the major factors In Eritrea, likewise, the roots of that encouraged the bloom of this profession in this prostitution can largely be attributed to socio- country. economic forces, as the case in other parts of the Second part of the paper covers literature world. It is neither legalized nor criminalized in on prostitution. Here, different perspectives to Eritrea. However, it is perceived as a barrier to understand the problem of prostitution have been social development especially in developing presented. It also discusses the different models nations like Eritrea. That is why the government of and experiences of rehabilitation initiatives Eritrea since its inception has focused on the issue. undertaken in different Asian countries. These It has conducted various studies to assess the countries are known for their CSW rehabilitation nature, prevalence and effect of the profession on programs. In this section, their social and Eritrean society. Several rehabilitation programs economic bases of prostitution have also been have also been initiated to rescue commercial sex discussed. workers from this risky profession by meeting The third part of the paper deals with the their socio-economic needs. methodology the research. This research used both This paper is an attempt to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative methods. On the ISRJ (1), Prostitution in Africa: A sociological Study of Eritrea (North East Africa) Indian Streams Research Journal Vol.2,Issue.II/March; 2012 quantitative part questionnaire was used whereas time servants as they were with the Italians. At that on the qualitative part semi-structured in-depth time having sexual relations with Eritrean women interviews and case studies were applied. was very common. Elderly people belonging to Part fourth is occupied with the findings of the that era, report that venereal diseases were found to study. In this section, demographic findings are be widespread in the country during that time. included. After these two successive colonies, Ethiopian Part fifth of the paper consists of the status colonization continued with its two phases, the of both, rehabilitated and active CSWs. Haileslassie regime and the Derg regime. The Part sixth of the paper presents the economic status former aimed at political integration and of the respondents. promotion of prostitution (in order for Ethiopian An analysis of the findings has been soldiers to have free access to sexual relations with provided in the following seventh part. It provides Eritrean women). The opportunity of having with an analysis of the overall socio-economic sexual relation with native Eritrean women was environment of the Commercial sex workers. It widely practiced by Ethiopian soldiers in different tries to establish the impact of the rehabilitation places. Prostitution became a common activity programs by a comparative study of the socio- especially in cities where military bases were economic status of the rehabilitated and un- located. War widowed women remained without rehabilitated CSW. any option but to open houses for practice of Finally, in the last part conclusions of the prostitution. study have been drawn and recommendations for The Derg regime was worse than all the effective rehabilitation have been provided. previous colonial regimes. It is believed that prostitution grew at a faster rate during that time. Background of the Study The report of the UNICEF by acknowledging The emergence of prostitution in Eritrea NUEW stated “since colonization, prostitution Prostitution has existed for along tome in developed at a slow rate but it reached at its peak the history of mankind. Although it is difficult to during the Derg regime, when a large number of know when and where it had began precisely. soldiers overwhelmed the country. According to Some literatures reveal that it was practiced in this report, Ethiopian women who came with the ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China. soldiers and natives practiced prostitution. At that Sometimes it is also referred to as the oldest time commercial sex was common in most of the profession. In Eritrea the practice of prostitution as towns despite the fact that that the Ethiopian an institution was developed during the Italian soldiers were aimed militarily. They did not come colonization. with their wives or families and hence, they had no According to Araya (1992), “the permanent contact with any women. Therefore, establishment of Italian colony in Eritrea and the the Derg regime promoted prostitution in order to coming of large number of soldiers, officials and satisfy the immediate sexual needs of its soldiers. colonists, in most cases without their wives, led to In post independent Eritrea, the government has considerable growth and commercialization of taken several measures to regulate prostitution. sex which soon reached on present proportions”. Unlike the time of colonization, commercial sex In addition to colonialism, urbanization workers today, is required to conform to certain had also had its contribution in widening the conditions. For example, they go through a spread of prostitution in Eritrea. Cities were the monthly medical checkup to ascertain their health centers of development that attract rural migrants conditions. In addition, prostitutes are not allowed especially the young girls (mostly widowed to operate near schools, hospitals, and churches because of war who were left without support).In (MLHW, 1999). the country side the occupational avenues were very limited. Hence, in order to escape the Definition of Prostitution exploitation as housemaids because of poverty, the There is no precise definition of young girls chose to become madams or “prostitution” as its meaning differs among and prostitutes. within societies and takes a variety of forms based In the successive eras of colonization, the on the activities of the participants. Different immediate followers of the Italians were the scholars have given different views. For example, British. As what the Italians did, the British prostitution is defined as “the gratifying of non- followed suit. The Eritrean women remained full marital sexual access, established by mutual ISRJ (2), Prostitution in Africa: A sociological Study of Eritrea (North East Africa) Indian Streams Reserach Journal Vol.2,Issue.II/March; 2012 agreement of women, her client, and/or her e.Small drinking house prostitutes: These types of employer, for remuneration which provides part or prostitutes usually work in local drinking houses all of her livelihood” (Winick and Kinsie, 1982). or tearooms and supplement their income with In consonance with the above points, it can be prostitution. defined as “prostitution is sexual relations on a f.Secret house prostitutes: They perform promiscuous and mercenary basis with no prostitution in secret drinking houses. emotional attachment, prostitutes make a living by g.Call girls: With the introduction of new sexual favor of anyone who will pay” (William and technology of cell phones, call girl category of Kornblum,1987). prostitutes has emerged recently. According to the Encyclopedia of social sciences, prostitution is defined as “the act of Social and Economic Bases of Prostitution practice of indulging in promiscuous sexual The Social Bases relations, especially for money and a prostitute is a The roots of prostitution are to be found in (mostly female), who is engaged in promiscuous the socio-cultural institutions and traditions that sexual intercourse for money and/or for material dictate gender relations and relations between advantage”. parents and children. As one aspect of unequal The Authority of Social Affairs defined gender relations, prostitution will continue so long prostitution as “a woman or girl who violates as the social structure surrounding it and Eritrean norms and values by selling her body for contributing to it, prevail. It will persist so long as the sake of money”(Authority
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ADERINTO-DISSERTATION.Pdf (1.797Mb)
    Copyright by Saheed Adeniyi Aderinto 2010 The Dissertation Committee for Saheed Adeniyi Aderinto Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Sexualized Nationalism: Lagos and the Politics of Illicit Sexuality in Colonial Nigeria, 1918-1958 Committee: ________________________________ Oloruntoyin O. Falola, Supervisor ________________________________ Juliet E.K. Walker ________________________________ Emilio Zamora ________________________________ Ruramisai Charumbira ________________________________ Omoniyi Afolabi _________________________________ Aderonke Adesanya Sexualized Nationalism: Lagos and the Politics of Illicit Sexuality in Colonial Nigeria, 1918-1958 by Saheed Adeniyi Aderinto B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2010 For Olamide Aderinto Abstract Sexualized Nationalism: Lagos and the Politics of Illicit Sexuality in Colonial Nigeria, 1918-1958 Publication No___________________________ Saheed Adeniyi Aderinto, Ph.D The University of Texas at Austin, 2010 Supervisor: Oloruntoyin O. Falola In this dissertation, I argue that historians of Africa have overlooked the intersection between nationalism and sexuality, despite the fact that these two themes are related. In addition, instead of focusing on the now stale paradigm which emphasizes the importance of race and class in the discourse of sexuality, I offer
    [Show full text]
  • Violence Against Women in Africa: a Situational Analysis
    United Nations Economic Commission for Africa African Centre for Gender and Social Development (ACGSD) VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN AFRICA: A SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS Table of Contents Background Methodology Common Abbreviations Situation Analysis of Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo Cote D’Ivoire Djibouti Democratic Republic of Congo Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Bissau Guinea Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Background Violence against women is perhaps the most widespread and socially tolerated of human rights violations, cutting across borders, race, class, ethnicity and religion. The impact of gender-based violence (GBV) is devastating. The individual women who are victims of such violence often experience life-long emotional distress, mental health problems and poor reproductive health, as well as being at higher risk of acquiring HIV and intensive long-term users of health services. In addition, the cost to women, their children, families and communities is a significant obstacle to reducing poverty, achieving gender equality and ensuring a peaceful transition for post-conflict societies. This, in conjunction with the mental and physical health implications of gender-based violence, impacts on a state or region’s ability to develop and construct a stable, productive society, or reconstruct a country in the wake of conflict. Gender-based violence in Africa, as elsewhere in the world, is a complex issue that has as its root the structural inequalities between men and women that result in the persistence of power differentials between the sexes.
    [Show full text]
  • State of African Women the Report
    ) IA AL R ST AU - AN UD S H UT SO ( NG YA N OR M AU D A EL D MO THE STATE OF AFRICAN WOMEN REPORT Key Findings JUNE 2018 A project implemented by: Organisation of Africa n First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) The State of African Women Report © June 2018 This report was developed and published in the context of the State of African Women project, implemented by a consortium of eight partners. Authors: Anouka van Eerdewijk, Mariam Kamunyu, Laura Nyirinkindi, Rainatou Sow, Marlies Visser and Elsbet Lodenstein (KIT, Royal Tropical Institute) Principal Editorial Advisor: Caroline Kwamboka N. (IPPF, International Planned Parenthood Federation) French translation: Tamarind Translations Portugese translation: Tamarind Translations Report design: Kapusniak Design, James Ngechu i PREFACE The ‘State of African Women’ Report marks a major milestone in the three-year advocacy, communication and awareness raising campaign project that focuses on increasing civil society’s contributions to promote the implementation of the African Union policy frameworks. The project is implemented at the global, continental, regional, national and sub-national levels by a consortium that includes International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR), International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPFEN), Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung (DSW), Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Faith to Action Network (F2A), and the Young Women Christian Association Kenya (YWCA). Within this consortium, KIT has led and worked with a team of African Women Researchers to develop the ‘State of African Women’ Report. through greater transparency and public pressure on duty bearers.
    [Show full text]
  • Experience of Nigerian Female Prostitutes Who Are Victimized by Police
    Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2021 Experience of Nigerian Female Prostitutes Who Are Victimized by Police Anitha Scroggins Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Psychology Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Anitha Scroggins has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Sharon Xuereb, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty Dr. Edward Keane, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty Dr. Jessica Millimen, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2021 Abstract Experience of Nigerian Female Prostitutes Who Are Victimized by Police by Anitha Scroggins MA, American Military University, 2013 BS, University of Jos, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Forensic Psychology Walden University February 2021 Abstract Nigerian police are not trusted by the population they swore to protect because they often assault, manipulate, exploit, and humiliate citizens as a form of intimidation to achieve a personal gain, especially from those who are involved in illegal activities like prostitution. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of Nigerian prostitutes and learn how they use adaptive coping strategies to cope with the stress of police victimization.
    [Show full text]
  • CHI ADANNA MGBAKO 150 W
    CHI ADANNA MGBAKO 150 w. 62nd Street • New York, New York 10023 • (212) 636-7716 • [email protected] ACADEMIC BIOGRAPHY Chi Adanna Mgbako is clinical professor of law and director of the Walter Leitner International Human Rights Clinic in the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law School. She and her students work on projects in partnership with social justice organizations focusing primarily on gender justice and human rights advocacY. She has conducted human rights fieldwork in many countries, including Botswana, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Japan, KenYa, Lebanon, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, and the United States. Mgbako is the author of To Live Freely in This World: Sex Worker Activism in Africa (New York University Press). Her scholarship has also appeared in the Harvard Journal of Law & Gender, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African HistorY, Georgetown Journal of International Law, Harvard Human Rights Journal, and the Yale Journal of International Affairs, among other publications. Her writing for the popular press and scholar-activism have been featured in the New York Times International Edition, BBC News Focus on Africa, the Guardian, HuffPost, and the Washington Post: MonkeY Cage. Mgbako is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Columbia UniversitY and a former fellow with the International Crisis Group. She has been honored as a New York Law Journal Rising Star, National Law Journal Top 40 Lawyer of Color Under 40, Fordham Law School’s Public Interest Professor of the Year, and a recipient of the Police Reform Organizing Project’s Citizen of the CitY Award.
    [Show full text]
  • Whose Body Is It?: Commercial Sex Work and the Law in Namibia
    Legal Assistance Centre “WHOSE BODY IS IT?” COMMERCIAL SEX WORK AND THE LAW IN NAMIBIA 2002 FUNDED BY AUSTRIAN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION THROUGH THE NORTH-SOUTH INSTITUTE 1 OVERVIEW AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Prostitution”, or “sex work”, is an issue which is likely to arouse strong feelings in Namibia. This report is not intended to provide moral approval or condemnation of sex work – it does not attempt to say whether prostitution or sex work is “right” or “wrong”. The objective of this report is to provide information which can produce a more informed debate about sex work in Namibia, with an emphasis on the human rights aspects of the issue: • Chapter 1 explains basic terms and concepts and gives an overview of the topic. This chapter was drafted by Dianne Hubbard of the Legal Assistance Centre. • Chapter 2 reviews the relevant international documents, such as the Beijing Platform for Action and the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and summarises Namibia’s international obligations in this area. This chapter was drafted by Leigh-Anne Agnew and Dianne Hubbard of the Legal Assistance Centre. Chapter 3 presents an historical look at sex work in Namibia. This chapter was drafted by Dr Rob Gordon, a Namibian-born anthropologist based at the University of Vermont who has done extensive research and writing on various aspects of Namibian history. Casper Eriksen gave valuable help as a research assistant in respect of this chapter. Chapter 4 explains the current legal position of sex work in Namibia. This chapter was drafted by Leigh-Anne Agnew and Dianne Hubbard of the Legal Assistance Centre.
    [Show full text]
  • Africa's World Trade : Informal Economies and Globalization
    This PDF is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Licence. Further details regarding permitted usage can be found at http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Print and ebook editions of this work are available to purchase from Zed Books (www.zedbooks.co.uk). A frica Now Africa Now is published by Zed Books in association with the inter nationally respected Nordic Africa Institute. Featuring high-quality, cutting-edge research from leading academics, the series addresses the big issues confronting Africa today. Accessible but in-depth, and wide-ranging in its scope, Africa Now engages with the critical political, economic, sociological and development debates affecting the continent, shedding new light on pressing concerns. Nordic Africa Institute The Nordic Africa Institute (Nordiska Afrikainstitutet) is a centre for research, documentation and information on modern Africa. Based in Uppsala, Sweden, the Institute is dedicated to providing timely, critical and alternative research and analysis of Africa and to co-operation with African researchers. As a hub and a meeting place for a growing field of research and analysis, the Institute strives to put knowledge of African issues within reach of scholars, policy makers, politicians, media, students and the general public. The Institute is financed jointly by the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). www.nai.uu.se Forthcoming titles Godwin Murunga, Duncan Okello and Anders Sjögren (eds), Kenya: The Struggle for a New Constitutional Order Lisa Åkesson and Maria Eriksson Baaz, Africa’s Return Migrants Thiven Reddy, South Africa: Beyond Apartheid and Liberal Democracy Anders Themner (ed.), Warlord Democrats in Africa Titles already published Fantu Cheru and Cyril Obi (eds), The Rise of China and India in Africa Ilda Lindell (ed.), Africa’s Informal Workers Iman Hashim and Dorte Thorsen, Child Migration in Africa Prosper B.
    [Show full text]
  • Addressing Prostitution Concerns in Nigeria: Issue, Problems and Prospects
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by European Scientific Journal (European Scientific Institute) European Scientific Journal May 2014 edition vol.10, No.14 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 ADDRESSING PROSTITUTION CONCERNS IN NIGERIA: ISSUE, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS E. E. Alobo, PhD Department of Public & International Law, Faculty of Law University of Calabar, Calabar-Nigeria Rita Ndifon, PhD Department of Curriculum & Teaching, Faculty of Education University of Calabar, Calabar-Nigeria Abstract This paper discusses the origin of prostitution, the different types of prostitution as well as causes/factors responsible for such deviant abnormal behaviour. Some theories that explain these factors are discussed. The consequences that flow from this analysis is that prostitution gravely impair women’s health and firmly belong in the category of violence against women considering its emotional and physical harmful effect. The paper emphasises that prostitution creates a setting whereby crime against women become a commercial enterprise thereby providing a congenial environment for the alienation, abuse and dehumanisation of women. It suggests that in addition to needing health services prostitutes must be provided with the economic, social and psychological means to leave prostitution. The authors conclude by proffering a socio-legal solution to the menace. Keywords: Prostitution, issue and Nigeria Introduction Prostitution is widely described as the oldest profession; the practice of selling sex for cash or other immediate compensation has existed across cultures and times from the ancient Greeks. Prostitution also crosses class lines, from the poor ‘streetwalker’ with their stereotyped drug habits and abusive pimps to the high class brothel and escort service worker with designers’ cloths and stylish apartments.
    [Show full text]
  • Women of the World: Sub-Saharan Africa
    ma DOCUMENT RESUME ED 257 772 SO 016 623 AUTHOR Newman, 3 ne S. TITLE Women of World: Sub-Saharan Africa. INSTITUTION Agency for International Development(IDCA), Washington, D.C. Office of Women inDevelopment.; Bureau of the Census (DOC),Suitland, Md. REPORT NO WID-2 PUB DATE Aug 84 NOTE 205p.; For other documents in theseries, see SO 016 622-626. Some graphs may not reproduceclearly. AVAILABLE FROM Data User Services Division,Customer Services, Bureau of the Census, Washington,DC 20233 ($5.50). PUB TAPE Reports - Descriptive (141) Statistical Data (110) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Birth Rate; *Census Figures; Employed Women; *Females; Foreign Countries; *Human Geography;Labor Force; Labor Force Nonparticipants;Marriage; *Population Distribution; Population Trends;Rural to Urban Migration; StatisticalAnalysis; Trend Analysis; Womens Education IDENTIFIERS *Africa (Sub Sahara); *Women inDevelopment ABSTRACT The second in a series of fivehandbooks designed to present and analyzestatistical data on women in variousregions of the world, this handboo focuses on women in 40 countriesof Sub-Saharan Africa. B nning with an overview ofpopulation characteristics in t region, the analysis continues with a description of women's literacy andeducation,'their labor force participation, their marital status andliving arrangements, their fertility, and their mortality.Information is presented not only in tables, charts, and text, but alsoin narrative form, offering a critique on concepts, availability,and quality of the data assembled on each variable.Findinfs show that except inNigeria, the populations of Sub-Saharan Africancountries are not large and rural densities are not usually high. However,the population is growing . rapidly, at about three percent per year.The proportion of women in the working ages is lowerin the urban and higher in therural areas than is that of men.
    [Show full text]
  • Sex Work and Human Rights in Africa
    Fordham International Law Journal Volume 33, Issue 4 2011 Article 2 Sex Work and Human Rights in Africa Chi Mgbako∗ Laura A. Smithy ∗Fordham University School of Law, [email protected] y Copyright c 2011 by the authors. Fordham International Law Journal is produced by The Berke- ley Electronic Press (bepress). http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ilj Sex Work and Human Rights in Africa Chi Mgbako and Laura A. Smith Abstract This Article serves as the first law review essay to engage the feminist debates regarding sex work and human rights in the African context. This Article surveys “antiprostitution” and ”pro-sex-worker” feminist arguments and activities in the sub-Saharan Africa; explores the debate surrounding the legal frameworks of legalization, decriminalization, prohibition, and abolition of prostitution in a number of African countries including Senegal, where prostitution is legal and regulated, and South Africa where prostitution remains illegal despite civil society advocacy for decriminalization; and calls for the empowerment of African sex workers by arguing for a human rights-based transformation in African governments’ legal and policy posture towards sex work. Part I of this Article explores both the feminist arguments against prostitution and in favor of sex workers’ rights. Part II traces the development of the distinction between forced and unforced prostitution in international law and argues that the international human rights system creates a foundation for the realization of sex workers’ rights in Africa. Part III explores the debates regarding the criminalization of prostitution in a number of African countries and includes case studies from Senegal and South Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • A Feminist Ethnography of Migrant Sex Work Spaces in Kenya
    Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 12-16-2015 12:00 AM Sexual-Economic Entanglement: A Feminist Ethnography of Migrant Sex Work Spaces in Kenya Megan Lowthers The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Regna Darnell The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Randa Farah The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Megan Lowthers 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Lowthers, Megan, "Sexual-Economic Entanglement: A Feminist Ethnography of Migrant Sex Work Spaces in Kenya" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 3423. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3423 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SEXUAL-ECONOMIC ENTANGLEMENT: A FEMINIST ETHNOGRAPHY OF MIGRANT SEX WORK SPACES IN KENYA (Thesis format: Monograph) by Megan Lowthers Graduate Program in Anthropology Collaborative Graduate Program in Migration and Ethnic Relations A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Megan Lowthers 2015 Abstract The recent anti-trafficking fervour as well as the moral panic surrounding prostitution has given rise to large gaps within migrant sex work research, especially in Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Pleasure for Sale: Prostitution in Colonial Africa, 1880S–1960S
    Saheed Aderinto Pleasure for Sale: Prostitution in Colonial Africa, 1880s–1960s One who makes friends is beter than one who quarrels A friend in need is a friend indeed Make friends with many but trust only a few Money is my lord Welcome my friend To love without action is not love Every day I wait of you darling Te day you give money to a prostitute she is your friend Introduction Te epigraph above is the text on the walls of the rooms of two prostitutes working in Kampala (Uganda) in the 1950s.1 Although these statements are discrete, they col- lectively highlight the main features of prostitution in colonial Africa: money, sex, and companionship. Prostitution derived its strength from the ability to maintain a consistent pool of men, who found the room of a prostitute welcoming. Money was important in the afair between the prostitute and her male lover – women sold sex partly because it guaranteed fnancial mobility and freedom. However, companion- ship and friendship could expand the gains of a transient romantic relationship. Hence what began as a transactional afair could metamorphose into marriage and long term relationship.Like other aspects of human existence, prostitution has a history rooted in the socio-cultural, political, and economic experience of diverse African societies. Before the imposition of colonialism over much of Africa from the 1880s, diverse forms of sexual behavior existed across time and space.2 However, these forms of multiple sexual behaviors which included concubinage and ritual sex rarely involve direct payment for sexual service. Te entrenchment of prostitution 1 Southall, A.W.; Gutkind, P.C.W.: Townsmen in the Making: Kampala and Its Suburbs, Uganda 1957, 80–81.
    [Show full text]