Rights Advocacy group says sex slavery, child prostitution in brothels on alarming trend in Rivers State

*NAPTIP agrees,says some hotels and brothel under surveillance and risk closure.

BY DANIEL EFE

Trafficking in Children and the use of Underaged girls for prostitution and sex slavery is now on an alarming rate in Rivers State.

This was the revelation made by the  Centre For Basic Rights Protection And Accountability Campaign after months of discreet investigation and surveillance of some hotels, Clubs  and brothels in the State.

The humanrights Advocacy group said some owners of hotels it found out that the use of underage of girls as apprentice in Commercial sex business is at its boom stage in Rivers. 

Gloria Chinda, who is the head of National Agency For Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons, NAPTIP, in Rivers State  has admitted on a Port Harcourt based radio, Nigeria Info 92.3FM news this morning that there is indeed increase in Child Prostitution in brothels in Rivers State. 

She agreed with humanrights advocacy group that the ugly trend involving underage prostitution in Rivers is on a spike.

“We aware of the disturbing trend mostly bran by some brothels and hotels in state. We currently on surveillance on suspected hotels. Any hotel caught will be shut and Proprietors will be arrested and prosecuted”.

Prince Wiro,who is the Secretary, Board of Trustees Centre For Basic Rights Protection And Accountability Campaign in an exclusive interview with our Correspondent said his group has been carrying out discreet investigation and close surveillance said the disturbing phenomenon has been growing in an alarming rate. 

“Last week Centre For Basic Rights Protection And Accountability Campaign has unraveled  how old female commercial sex workers who seems to be less attractive to male customers goes to remote villages outside Rivers State to bring underage girls between 13-17 under the guise of training them in school or use as them as house maid. 

According to the Advocacy group ,”The old Commercial Sex Workers immediately administered oath on the underage girls when they are brought to Rivers State. The oath is aimed at instilling fear in the minds of the naive and underage girls not to tell anybody what they are going through. 

“When a male Customer comes to patronize the underage girls, the old female sex workers referred to as ‘Madam’  bargains with the male customers and collects money from the male customers while the underage girls goes in to sleep with the èmale customers”.

It was also found the ‘Madams’ clothes and feed the underage girls. Make their hair and  and use suspected Cultists to monitor them closely so that they will not escape. The underage girls are not permitted to use phone.

However, Prince Wiro further revealed that the underage girls  do all the house chores,sleeping with an average of 10 men a daily, while the ‘madams’  collect all the money. The underage girls gain nothing aside food and little clothes during the period of apprenticeship. 

“The underage girls serve the ‘Madam’  in that manner for 12 to 16 months before they are freed and the ‘madams’ go back to remote villages to deceive parents of other underage girls and bring them to Port Harcourt”.

Following discreet investigation by Prince Wiro, Secretary Board of Trustee Centre For Basic Rights Protection And Accountability Campaign and his team who disguised as male customers was able to get information from the underage girls in brothels, the investigation indicates that many underage girls are in bondage of sex slavery in many brothels in Rivers State. 

The Rivers State Government and relevant agencies must do everything within its power to curtail the growing trend. 

Further investigation suggests that lack of supervision of brothels in Rivers State by relevant agencies is responsible for the increase in child prostitution in brothels in Rivers State.