Child Prostitution Hits Kasoa

Months after the demolition of the famous Soja Bar at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, a new brothel has emerged at Kasoa in the Central Region where children prostitutes are offering " hot " services. It is located off the Kasoa-Obom Road and has been running for the past six years; Public Agenda ' s checks have indicated.

Our investigations have revealed that children below 16 years are involved in this immoral act satisfying the lustful needs of men as old as their parents. They charge GH 7 for an hour and GH 3 for relatively shorter periods.

The girls arrive at the brothel in the evening at 6: 00 decently dressed but change into very short suggestive dresses which expose their thighs, navel, and breast among other parts of the body that can easily beguile a man.

The brothel is operated under the guise of a drinking spot with a certain plump woman who acts as a pimp. Muscular men referred to in local parlance as " Macho men " are placed at vantage points around the brothel to provide security for the girls and also deal with patrons who may renege on agreed terms.

In an interview with Public Agenda one of the prostitutes explains why she engages in prostitution: " I do this because I have no job and this is what I do to survive " . But when asked who employed her she declined to comment.

She says the pimp pays her between GH 10.00 to GH 12.00 a night after she has deducted what is due her and allocations for the purchase of condoms, toilet roll and other sanitary materials for the " activity ".

Asked whether a patron could spend the whole night with her in the brothel, she answered in the negative. She fumed, " The pimp permits one for only a short time, the maximum being one hour. "

Child prostitution appears to be on the increase. In 2008, Ghana ' s ace investigative and award winning journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas of the New Crusading Guide, managed to video incidents of sexual acts involving child prostitutes and adults at Soldier Bar at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra when he disguised himself and worked at the brothel as a cleaner.

Girls as young as 14 were captured entering a wooden cubicle with their male counterparts. The room takes a student-size bed and just enough space to move to the door and back. In all of the sex episodes, there was no foreplay, no cuddling, no fondling, no kissing and no caressing. Once the girl receives the money, she removes her panties, brings out a condom and helps the man to put it on. She then lies on the bed and straight away, and the thrusting starts.

Once the man ejaculates, his time is over and he has to leave the room. The girl then wipes her private parts with tissue paper and throws it down on the floor of the room. Some of the men who requested to have more than one " round " of sex were made to pay for each round.

It costs GH 3 for each round and this is what is referred to as " short time " sex. It was always cash before sex and each of the girls ensured that they received the money before the act.