A number of families in Nyanza region are breaking up in what is now commonly known as Sex for Fish trade or sometimes referred to as "Fish for Sex". This is a trade in which female traders engage in sexual relationships with fishermen to secure their supply of fish.
Investigations
by Weekly Citizen reveal that women fish traders are often pressured into
having sex with the fishermen who supply them with daily fresh fish. Along the
beaches where the sex for fish practices have been observed, the fishermen do
maintain several transactional sexual relationships with women at different
beaches where they land with their fish.
At Sori beach in
Migori County along the source of Lake Victoria female fishmongers scramble
along the beach to buy fish, shouting their names out to get the attention of
the fishermen and cartels (jo achumbo) that control the trade.
We came across a
young girl aged between 15 and 18 years among the jostling fishmongers.
She is dressed in a conspicuous mini-skirt and a short blouse that strains to
cover her umbilical cord. Her hair is neatly plaited making her easy to notice.
Her beauty is instantly noticed by the young
and energetic fishermen who handover the best of their catch for fewer amounts
in good faith. A new trend referred to as ‘jaboya’ where a fishmonger and
fisherman indulge in sex is sky rocketing along the beaches in Luo Nyanza.
One lady
confessed thus “I have been having unprotected sex with different fishermen and
their beach leaders for the last eight years since I dropped out of school. My
parents passed away in the same year and my younger brother and I had no one to
turn to, the only solution was him to go and look after some village tycoons
cattle as I entered this field. I knew what men want and I was ready to
exchange it with money. Wearing short skirts or tight trousers doesn’t cost
much and I was ready for easy and fast cash. I’m still in the field despite
losing some of my lady friends and clients”.
Some local NGOs
have now launched campaign against the “fish for sex” telling the fishermen
about the dangers of the trade and HIV/ AIDS.
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