Minors selling sex in Ntcheu

At the sight of a man walking into Mama’s Shabin at Ntcheu Boma, a bubbly 14-year-old girl slowly takes to the floor and wriggles her body seductively to welcome the ostensibly familiar customer into the shebeen.

In acknowledgement of her ‘kind’ gesture, the man pats her behind then holds her hand and together they walk towards the counter where he orders beer for two.

It is close to midnight, but the little girl is as agile as a moth. She entertains her client while clad in short and tight attire, sipping a cold beer.

She is the youngest in the shebeen’s female workforce of eight, the oldest is 22.

“A man came to my village in Balaka, scouting for girls interested in getting jobs in town,” she says. “I was just loafing, so I expressed interest. I was told that I would be working as cleaner at a big rest house in Ntcheu, but he brought us to [Mama’s Shabin’s owner] and she offered me a job to assist her in running this business.

The girl said her co-workers came from various districts such as Mangochi, Balaka, Nkhotakota and Thyolo.

“When we come here, she confiscates our bags…with nothing to go home with, you have no choice but to stay and do as you are told.”

“I arrived with 10 other newcomers, but nine have since left after they raised substantial income while I and another girl have stayed on,” she said, ruling out the possibility of her returning home anytime soon.

“This is my life now,” she said, adding that the owner pays the girls a monthly wage of K6 000 for cleaning the place and entertaining clients.

Situated at the heart of Ntcheu Township, behind the district’s post office building, Mama’s Shabin is popularly known as “Ku Nursery” among Ntcheu residents for its functional role of nurturing young prostitutes who act as magnets for male customers.

Some of the girls operating at the shebeen, which is owned and operated by Rebecca Bakuwa, come young and grow within the shebeen’s premises where they are allocated a room each.

A visit to the shebeen on the night of February 19 revealed what “entertaining clients” entails.

According to the 14-year-old girl, they entertain male customers by keeping them company, dancing and selling sex to those interested in the act.

“Whatever payment we get from them [for sex] is ours,” she explained.

She was 13 when she started selling her body for money and little did she know that all her clients were committing an offence of defilement, contrary to Section 138 of the Penal Code which prohibits unlawful and carnal knowledge of any girl under the age of 13.

The law also criminalises the act of owners or occupiers of premises permitting defilement of underage girls or detaining them against their will.

We learnt from some of the customers that ‘Ku Nursery’ offers cheapest sex rates in the district as the girls charge as little as K500 for sex.

One of the customers, speaking on condition of anonymity, spoke highly about the drinking joint which he described as men’s favourite because it offers a “unique” service.

“It’s rare in this country to find prostitutes with pointed breasts (amabere anjo)…The girls in this place have them; that’s why most of us, men, like this place.

“Besides, these teens don’t charge as much as the older prostitutes would. We easily sweet-talk them and pay very little for their services,” he said.

Another girl, aged 19, said they charge their clients not more than K500 for sex, unless they want it without protection.

“In this trade, you make sure that you have condoms handy, but some clients do not want us to use them, so we charge more, like K 1 000, for these ones,” said the girl from Thyolo.

She was 16 when she joined the shebeen three years ago. Like the 14-year-old, she was lured to town by a man who promised her a decent job only to hand her over to Bakuwa.

She explained that the clients are entertained in the rooms that the owner allocates the girls.

Within the township lives a 21-year-old woman from Nkhotakota who joined the shebeen at the age of 18, and was later spotted by a regular customer who married her.

She explained the dilemma the girls face when they come from far-away places only to discover that the promises of decent jobs were all but lies.

“You are just coming from some far away village and have no idea where to run to. You have no choice really and in the end you just get used to this life.

“I am lucky this man liked me and gave me a stable life,” she said.

Illegality of employing children in shebeens

Soche Child Justice Court magistrate Esmie Tembenu said in an interview yesterday the law protects children under 18 from being employed in hazardous places such as drinking joints.

Tembenu said children above the age of 14 are, according to Employment Act, allowed to be employed but only in jobs that are not hazardous to their social development and education.

The magistrate said employing children in bars is a crime and citizens must have the responsibilities to report such malpractices to police, civil society groups or any other relevant authorities.

She said the Liquor Act prohibits employment of young children under the age of 18 in bars or selling beer to them.

Tembenu said: “Girls under the age of 18, if employed in bars, would be tempted to start drinking beer and sleeping with older men.

“The society has the responsibility to report such cases and prevent young people from either psychological or physical abuse. We are supposed to act and prevent this. Such bars that employ young children are supposed to be closed, but this cannot happen if they are not reported.”

What does Bakuwa say?

Bakuwa, who has once faced charges of operating a brothel and walked to freedom after apparently paying a fine, broke into tears when she was approached for an interview the same night.

“What wrong have I done? I am not a criminal. The only asset that helps me survive is this business… The girls I keep are orphans.

“I never went to school, but God blessed me with wisdom to run this business. I have only put that wisdom to good use; I am not a criminal. What wrong have I done?” she asked.

She did not take further questions.

Officer-in-charge for Ntcheu Police, deputy commissioner Chikondi Chingadza confirmed arresting Bakuwa at one time.

“I have taken several initiatives regarding this issue. There was a time our patrol officers went to that place and withdrew the young girls and handed them over to the social welfare office, but they went back.

“We also arrested the owner of that place; we opened a case against her, and unfortunately she was fined a small amount of money,” Chingadza complained.

Early this year Ntcheu Liquor Board closed Mama’s Shabin for, among other reasons, operating a brothel, prostituting under-age children and lack of sanitation, but the place was reopened after three weeks by the same board.

Moses Chilembwe, assistant social welfare officer for the district, who is also a member of Ntcheu Liquor Board, confirmed the shebeen was closed and reopened on “humanitarian grounds” after Bakuwa pleaded with the board to reopen the business.

“She told the board that the business is her only source of income, but before it was reopened, she was ordered to let the minors go,” said Chilembwe.

He expressed surprise when he was told the shebeen still harbours under-age children who operate as prostitutes.

“Our office is not aware that she has not removed the children, so will take her to task,” she said.

Minister of Gender Patricia Kaliati said her ministry would investigate the matter and ensure that the perpetrator faces the law.

“How could a woman who is supposed to be a mother indulge into such a business of exploiting teens? This is unacceptable,” said Kaliati.

Anti-human trafficking campaigner, Habiba Osman, who is also gender advocacy officer for the Norwegian Church, said she would ensure that the matter is brought to the attention of relevant authorities.

She said trafficking women for sex exploitation is one of the issues the recently passed Human Trafficking Bill prohibits.

Among other things, the new legislation states that any person who is convicted of operating a brothel be imprisoned for five years or pay a K5 million fine.

Human rights activists this week hailed the passing of the bill which they said would ensure that offenders are apprehended and prosecuted.