Jemila traveled from her base in Abuja to Ghana to seek greener pastures after completing her senior high school examination. She succeeded in traveling with the help of her best friend who lived in Ghana.

“I told my friend I wanted to join her in Ghana and she said I should wait. She made me understand that she was operating a boutique where she sells clothes.

“When I arrived on a Sunday evening, she told me we should go out and work. When I asked about the type of work, she said it was ‘ashawo’ [prostitution] and I told her I could not do that work.

“But she said I had to pay for the money she spent on bringing me to Ghana. I followed her to work for a week and fled Saturday morning while pretending to be cleaning the room,” Jemila recounted her ordeal to Mama Effe, host of the Obra show.

She received Gh50 for sleeping with men, and the money was always collected by her friend after servicing a client.

To authenticate her story, some commercial drivers testified to her plight.

“It was around 11:30 AM while I was plying the Ejisu road, I had one passenger left to drop when this lady signaled me to stop, but I ignored it. But the passenger convinced me to take her because it might be an emergency. This is because she only had a shirt on with cloth around her waist.

“When we got to the station, she was still inside the car and told me she was a stranger and didn’t even know the place. I therefore called my colleague driver, and we sent her to a hotel which is far from that area because she said her friend was looking for her,” narrated Vincent, a taxi driver.

Jemila, who felt deceived by her childhood friend, pleaded with Mama Effe and the audience of the Obra Show to help her return to Nigeria.

“My friend suspected I wanted to run away, so she informed her boss, who is also a Nigerian, and they planned to sell me to another mistress. I asked my friend about it when I found out, but she denied it. Mommy I want to go home,” she pleaded.

Tough by her ordeal, the audience of the Obra Show made cash donations while Mama Effe made the necessary arrangements for her return to Nigeria.

Jemila, in her pain and anguish due to the forceful prostitution by her own best friend and countrywoman finally had peace and smiled when she was given an undisclosed amount of money, in addition to her travel expenses.

She left Ghana a happy soul.

In a chat on SVTV Africa with DJ Nyaami, Eunice noted that she stayed and worked with her aunt for a couple of months before she sold her off to a woman at Kokomba for GHS2,500.

Success indicated that she has to pay the amount by trading off her body to men. The divorcée stated that she is unhappy with the state she is currently in.

“I’m fed up and unhappy because I never did this in Nigeria. We stand in front of our rooms here, waiting for them. Those who like me give me the money without sex. I’m the only hope for my family,” she said on Ghetto Life Story.

Speaking of her charges, Eunice mentioned that she “charges GHS20 or GHS30. Some of them will have pity, but the normal price they offer is GHS10.”

The mother of three has been living in Ghana for over a year. Success stated that she would need about GhS25K to start a viable business in Nigeria to cater for her family.

Moreover, the young lady noted that friends and family often lure young female Nigerians into the country by promising them education, jobs, etc.

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According to him, it has become the bane of authorities as all efforts to fight it have proved futile, adding it has become attractive to both locals and foreigners.

All night, the sex workers flood major streets including the Bank of Ghana to the Tamale Post office road, Jubilee park very close to the regional police headquarters, Nagasaki, and victory cinema among other places without fear.

The prostitutes have also recruited young men in the metropolis and positioned them in vantage spots to protect and also give them any information that may endanger their night activities.

Mr Salifu raised these concerns at a program for the youth at Tamasco as part of the 2022 International Youth Week celebration.

The Mayor stated fighting prostitution and other criminal activities is not for one person, hence the media and general public should support the fight as the Assembly activates some by-laws.

He added that landlords and ladies should investigate their tenants very well before renting out their rooms to help reduce such crimes in the metropolis.

“You are just in your house, then someone comes to tell you he or she is looking for a room, you are not interested in finding out the background of that person, what is the person coming to do?

“The person stays in the room whilst everybody is at work, she is inside the room then, men or women going in and coming out. You are seeing and you are not talking, what will the chief in that area do? Because he is not aware,” he stated

The speaker of the Youth Parliament, Abubakari Alhassan Bawa, pledged their commitment to support the fight against prostitution.

The Northern Regional Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Mumuni Sulemana, on his part said rampant prostitution in the regional capital is gradually destroying the future of the city.

He, therefore, appealed to the youth to desist from such acts because teenage pregnancy, HIV/ AIDS and other infections are some of the side effects of prostitution.

Angel Ubah, unemployed charged with the use of a trafficked person, pleaded guilty.

The court, presided over by Mrs Ellen Ofei Ayeh, convicted the accused on her own plea and deferred the sentence.

The court further ordered the Police to conduct a pregnancy test on the accused.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Isaac Anquandah narrated that, Blessing Ekele, is the complainant in the matter.

He said the accused and the complainant are Nigerians and reside at Obinim Guest House at Agyiriganor Junction, Accra.

Chief Inspector Anquandah said in February this year the accused together with her syndicate in Nigeria known as Chioma and Adah, conspired to recruit, transport and traffic the complainant from Nigeria to Ghana.

The prosecution said that on her way, the accused told the victim that there are jobs in Ghana and when she arrived in the country the accused took her from Spintex to Obinim Guest House.

Mr Anquandah said the following day the accused informed the victim that the job she promised her did not exist except to engage in prostitution of which the victim made it known to the accused that her culture bars her from engaging in prostitution and it was a taboo and that anytime she engages in that she would either go mad or die.

The prosecution said the accused insisted that the victim engaged in prostitution.

He said the victim engaged in the act for one week and rendered an account of GHC200 from the proceeds.

The prosecution said that due to the risk involved, the victim ran away from the guest house and lived like a destitute for one week until a good Samaritan came to her rescue and took her to the Police station and then a report was made and the accused arrested.

The fear of being infected with COVID-19 has resulted in many losing their clients whiles others found it difficult to come by some.

By the nature of their business, they ‘sell’ sex to some men in the cities and towns at night for money.

Barely a month ago, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo eased restrictions on drinking bars, pubs, and nightclubs, allowing them to operate fully but observing the various safety protocols, including physical distancing.

But a lot of these nightclubs, drinking spots, and bars are not operating as they used to, a situation that is not only affecting owners of these entertainment centres but prostitutes as well.

Impact on sex workers

A visit by The Mirror to places such as the Channels London Bar at Kasoa SCC, Ronyz Restaurant, Eddys Pizza, Yellow Page and all drinking spots dotted along the Odorkor Kasoa highway were not operating as they usually do.

Those that usually had live bands on public holidays and weekends were operating with less than half of their members.

A chat with some of the sex workers in the areas visited showed the global pandemic was impacting on their income.

Unlike before, commercial sex workers are not getting clients

The situation has made prostitutes who usually ply their trade at these areas find it difficult to make money.

One of the sex workers, who didn’t want to reveal her identity to this reporter, said “I went home during the lockdown because I was not getting clients, since people were afraid to come out because of the disease. It is only once a while that an old customer will call then if you are lucky, they meet you somewhere.”

Another sex worker, who gave her name as Success, explained that “some clients were frightened by the COVID-19, therefore, even when you convince them that you can wear a nose mask before you sleep with them they still don’t get convinced.”

“Unfortunately, we need the money, so we cannot stop the trade but we will keep persuading our clients to see if they will have a change of mind,” she stated.

Ama (not her real name), who plies her trade around Asylum Down, said, “Our market is down due to the closure of a popular drinking spot nearby where I operate. As a result, most of the ladies have relocated to different parts of the city. Only a few of us come here once a while.”

Despite the challenges, some of them said the prices they often charge their clients remain the same.

While some charge between GH¢100 and GH¢200 half-night or a full night respectively, others take between GH¢80 and GH¢100.

One can also enjoy himself with GH¢25, GH¢40, or GH¢50 based on the location and the type of room chosen — be it a hotel or guest house.

For instance, a guest house along the Kasoa road charges GH¢30 for ‘short time’, excluding the charge for the sexual bout

Some countries choose to out-rightly ban the practice, while other countries have tried to regulate it, providing sex workers with health and social benefits.

Below is the list of such countries:

1. Finland

Prostitution is legal in Finland, but selling and purchasing sex in public is illegal, as well as purchasing or pimping a trafficked victim.

Street work is banned but clients are all accessible through the Internet and personal ads. In addition to decreasing street-workers, cyberspace has also contributed to a growing number of foreign sex workers operating in Finland through ads and massage parlours.

2. Costa Rica

Prostitution is completely legal in Costa Rica. In fact, it’s a common profession. The problems are with the activities surrounding prostitution. Pimping is illegal, prostitution rings are illegal, and there is also a huge problem with child prostitution and human trafficking.

Costa Rica is, unfortunately, a common transit and destination point for women and children who are being trafficked for sexual exploitation purposes.

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3. New Zealand

Prostitution has been legal in New Zealand since 2003. There are even licensed brothels operating under public health and employment laws, which means the workers get social benefits just like other employees.

4. Austria

Prostitution is completely legal in Austria. Prostitutes are required to register, undergo periodic health examinations, be 19 years old or older and pay taxes.

5. Bangladesh

Except for male prostitution, everything else is legal.

Bangladesh has a severe minor trafficking problem, which is perpetuated by corruption. Pimping and owning a brothel is also legal.

6. Denmark

In Denmark, prostitution was decriminalized in 1999, partly because authorities wanted to keep watch over the industry.

Apparently, they felt it would be easier if it were happening out in the open as it’s always easier to police a legal trade than an illegal one.

Third-party activities such as coercion, procuring, trafficking, and the solicitation of minors, however, remain illegal.

7. Canada

Canada has no law against the exchange of sex for money; it’s pimping or owning a brothel that is the problem. It is legal to be a sex worker, but illegal to purchase sexual services.

It’s also illegal to publicly market your wares as a prostitute.

8. Germany

There are an estimated 400,000 prostitutes working in Germany. Prostitution brings in about six billion Euros each year with a clientele of an estimated 1.2 million.

The government, of course, withholds a portion of these revenues to contribute to social benefits and sex workers have pensions, health insurance, a regular 40-hour-workweek, and the option to join sex worker unions. Despite the nationwide laws, each city has the right to ban prostitution in their area.

9. Greece

In Greece as long as you’re over the age of 21, registered and a medical card carrier whose card is updated every two weeks, you can do pretty much anything that doesn’t involve sex trafficking.

Brothels are legal and pimping is legal.

10. Colombia

It is legal to work in the sex industry in Colombia, though pimping isn’t.

Prostitution is especially widespread in cities such as Cartagena and Barranquilla.

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The ladies who are between the ages of 20 and 28 were allegedly lured by their mistresses to come to Ghana only to be pushed into prostitution.

Tarkwa Divisional Crime Officer, Supritendent Kwabena Otuo Acheampong tells Adom News some of the victims reported the incident to the police which led to the arrest of the five women.

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Meanwhile one of the victims in an interview on Adom News she has been sleeping with men and gives the money to her mistresses.

She said they were promisd juicy jobs not to be pushed into the sex trade when they arrived in Ghana.

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