Married sex workers are now keeping official working hours

Sex workers along Duruma road in Nairobi on Sunday, April 05 2020. [David Njaaga,Standard]

Married women are now engaging in daytime sex work after dropping off their kids at school and punctual in returning home to their families, the government has said.

The National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) raised concerns over the increasing prevalence of daytime sex work across the country, at a session with Parliament.

Officials of the council said women are now dropping off their children at school in the morning and then entering the sex trade as early as 8am, coinciding with the start of the workday for many Kenyans.

“In fact, in a county like Nyeri, I have had a meeting with the daytime sex workers, and it is a very difficult group to deal with because they leave their homes, go to town, engage in sex work the whole day. Then at 5pm, they go and pick up their children from school and go home,” Ruth Laibon Masha, the council’s Chief Executive Officer, told the parliamentary committee.

This comes days after the Nairobian published a series of exposes on sex workers now thronging estates while some are now using online social media to reach out to clients.

“Most girls who engage in sex-for-view have babies to feed. They prefer being paid for sex in public than standing in street corners,” said Ann, a sex worker who preferred to use one name.

The National Assembly Committee on Health, chaired by Endebess MP Robert Pukose, conducted a fact-finding mission at the council, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) to understand the challenges and successes of these institutions.

In parliament, the legislators were shocked to learn about the emerging problem: the rising daytime sex workers' activity- which is expanding rapidly to include women who do not necessarily venture out at night, especially those who are married.

The council said this group also includes foreigners from neighbouring countries who have thronged urban areas to engage in intimate entertainment.

Dr Masha reported that during her last visit to Nyeri, she met about 300 of the married day sex workers, most of whom cited poverty.

This trend, where women engage in sex work during daylight hours after attending to their childcare responsibilities, raises concerns about its implications for public health and social welfare.

Masha emphasised the complexity of intervening in this situation due to the familial responsibilities of married women and the secretive nature of their activities.

“It's a group that is growing as a resource basket. Nairobi’s River Road, Nyamakima area, and adjacent areas host many daytime sex workers. I was talking to some of them and they tell me that they take their children to school in the morning and when they come out, they go home,” Masha told the MPs.

Daytime sex work is most pronounced in Nairobi, with areas River Road and Nyamakima emerging as hotspots for this activity, but there have been reports of sex workers expanding to estates.

 In Nyeri, a similar trend is observed, with married women engaging in sex work as early as 8am immediately after dropping off their children at school. Masha highlighted the challenges of reaching out to this group, as they do not frequent traditional nightlife establishments, making support efforts exceedingly difficult.

The NSDCC also expressed deep concern about the cross-border expansion of daytime sex work into neighbouring Ethiopia.

Young girls, predominantly from Kenya, are reportedly crossing into Ethiopia to engage in daytime sex.

“This is the new generation of young girls who are getting into sex work, crossing the border at Moyale, and venturing into a country that traditionally didn’t have a market for sex work,” she revealed.

Similarly, like in Nyeri and Nairobi, the girls are seen in the morning, but in the evening, they return to their homes.

“This has been the biggest challenge because they are mostly operating between 8am and 5pm, and then they go home,” Dr Masha added, calling on the MPs' support, especially in reforming the Constituency AIDS Committee offices, which she said would be helpful in addressing some of these emerging issues.

Presenting a new challenge for health and social welfare agencies on both sides of the border, poverty plays a significant role in driving this phenomenon, exacerbating the vulnerabilities faced by married women and young girls who turn to sex work as a means of survival.

Masha stressed the need for a comprehensive response addressing the root causes driving individuals into the sex trade, emphasising targeted support, education, and resources.

As the issue gains traction on the national agenda, policymakers are urged to prioritise reforms within local AIDS committees to effectively tackle this emerging challenge. The fate of these individuals, particularly married women and young girls, hinges on proactive measures aimed at safeguarding their health, dignity, and future prospects.

“In Nyeri, it was interesting because they even came with their children. It is the same case with Nairobi," she said.

It is a group that is growing as a resource basket. Nairobi’s River Road, Nyamakima area, and adjacent areas host many daytime sex workers. Commercial sex workers have long operated discreetly at night to avoid arrest. They are often called "twilight girls," seen in revealing attire and heavy makeup on street corners to attract clients.

They have faced a constant struggle to evade law enforcement for practicing the world's oldest profession.

This era of fear might soon end if Parliament approves a proposal to decriminalise prostitution by amending the Penal Code.

The proposed Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2023 seeks to remove Sections 153, 154, and 155, which criminalises aspects of prostitution.

“Where a male person is proved to live with or to be habitually in the company of a prostitute or is proved to have exercised control, direction or influence over the movements of a prostitute in such a manner as to show that he is aiding, abetting, or compelling her prostitution with any other person, or generally, he shall, unless he satisfies the court to the contrary be deemed to be knowingly living on the earnings of prostitution,” read one of the provisions of the proposed bill.

But this provision does very little to protect sex workers and more to discourage their male clients.

If the bill passes, owners of premises where prostitution occurs would face fewer risks, as police would lose the authority to search these places without a warrant.

The bill aims not to legalise but to downgrade prostitution to a lesser offense, no longer punishable by imprisonment.

According to the Kenya Sex Workers Alliance, over 100,000 women rely on sex work for survival, with around 25,000 receiving support from organisations like the Bar Hostess Empowerment & Support Programme (BHESP).

Advocates argue that police misuse laws to target sex workers, whereas the Constitution doesn't explicitly ban sex work.

They emphasise that sex workers seek protection from harassment rather than rehabilitation.

Some argue that economic hardships drive women to sex work, which is lucrative in other parts of the world.