**Decry Abuse By Policemen
A coalition of commercial $ex workers in Nigeria, the Ohotu Diamond Women Initiative, ODWI, has lamented the harassment they get from security operatives in the country, especially the police. They have therefore called on the Nigeria Police to stop abusing them.
The group, in a statement made available to newsmen, pointed out that they deserve respect and not condemnation.
“The illegal status of $ex work in most countries, including Nigeria has not eradicated pr0stitution. Instead, criminalization has increased $ex workers vulnerability to human rights abuses and created fertile ground for police exploitation, especially of brothel and street-based $ex workers.
“$ex workers deserve the basic respect and protection from violence that each nation owes its citizens. But in many settings, police abuse of $ex workers receives scant public attention despite its entrenched global reality.
“Street and brothel-based female “ex workers, one of Lagos and Abuja most vulnerable populations, find themselves targeted for arrest by police, and they experience high levels of violence that go unpunished.
“Current city and law enforcement policies towards $ex workers create a cycle of arrest that does not result in appropriate or long term solutions for the community or $ex workers,” the statement reads in part.
The statement said further that the challenges faced by women of easy virtue are almost similar.
“Many of us face violence and discrimination on a regular basis. Regardless of which State or tribe we are from, many of us have experienced being r@ped, verbally, emotionally and physically abused by police, clients and community members.
“There is an unfair discrimination from service providers. $ex workers are not protected or defended by the law when they are exploited and abused. We demand that these violations stop immediately and decisive action is taken against perpetrators.”
“Thirty percent of $ex workers interviewed told researchers that they had been threatened with violence by police officers, while 27% actually experienced violence at the hands of police. Reported incidents included officers physically grabbing and kicking, as well as beating them; one incident of r@pe; one woman was stalked by a police officer; and throwing food at one subject. $exual harassment included fondling of body parts; giving women cigarettes in exchange for $ex; and police offering not to arrest $ex workers in exchange for $exual services.
“Several times the Police have raided our hotels beating, stealing and having $ex with us without protection.”
In a bid to curtail the abuses sex workers suffer from Policemen, the Executive Director of SafeHeaven Development Initiative, Margaret Onah has criticised the method of which Policemen uses to extort money from $ex workers and abuse.
According to Onah, the Nigerian policemen are not mindful of the fundamental human rights that should be accorded to $ex workers.
“It is dehumanising when Policemen abuse $ex workers the way they do. We are using this channel to voice out our pains in the course of survival. The government needs to do something about it. It is better if $ex workers are charged to court than naming them, harassing them, stealing their money, stealing their properties, and having $ex with them unprotected.”
Speaking on what could be done to end the abuse by Policemen, she said: “the Police needs to re-strategise. The fact that $ex work is illegal doesn’t mean that they should kill anyone find doing the job.
“$ex workers are citizen of this country first of all, and they need to be respected like every other citizen.”
Speaking on harassment faced with Policemen, Esther Eghosa said: “Time without numbers, the Policemen break our doors to start packing us like goats to the station. If you don’t have money to bail yourself, they will say they want to sleep with you unprotected which is very bad.
Eghosa, who is a $ex worker further stress, “As a woman in the brothel, we protect ourselves, we use condoms, but with the Policemen, you don’t have a say.”
