Nation reported on May 18th, that a study to assess the true situation of prostitution in Seychelles will start soon. This will be done by a local consultant commissioned by the government. The study is indeed necessary, but as all such studies it is started a bit too late as the problem is obviously beyond its 'normal' level since it has become a regular conversation topic. We are also a mere year away from holding an election so it is natural for the government to show some 'action' and not only promises and empty words.
Prostitution has existed in Seychelles as long as the islands have been inhabited. we all remember our elders telling stories about prostitute A, B and C and we also remember younger versions of A, B & C hanging around Pirates Arms and leaving arm in arm with a tourist without that arousing any particular concern. These pros were all usually in their late 20s and above, had names that were associated with their trade and were a no-no for locals. These were full timers, i.e they relied on their trade to make a living.
We also had another type of prostitutes in Seychelles, a type that performed the trade as a bi-income and could be found in the various discos and bars like the open air disco at Coral Strand, Beau Vallon Bay, Mahé Beach, Katiolo or wherever our visiting tourists and expats were to be found. These lived on both pure hard cash and other gifts like refrigerators, cookers, clothing etc. Different types of pros, nevertheless pros. The age rang of the latter type could be anything from 18 and upwards, all living at home with not so conservative parents who allowed them out whenever they felt called. These girls did their 'business' not necessarily as a necessity, but more out of pure convenience and also a way to find a potential husband/partner in addition to a ticket to ride out of Seychelles in style. Some fell in love, others prospered to become respectable wives of satellite base employees or other expats.
Today our prostitutes are in the age range of as low as 14 and upwards and all have the latest cell-phone model and wear clothes that have a value of an average monthly income. Their 'turnover' is said to finance everything from the latest and hottest Nokia, clothing, trips to Dubai and not least to finance their expensive drug habit. I'd say that is quite a change to our traditional forms of prostitution and a clear descent into the abyss, not least another failure on the behalf of the government.
It is however clear that there is a link between prostitution and poverty. Although some will say that there is no poverty in Seychelles, it being 'the richest country in Africa', but despite little poverty, the relative decline in wealth amongst the average Seychellois could well be what has triggered the explosion in prostitution amongst the underaged female(and most probably also male) population. This link is very clear in most poor countries like for instance Thailand where the sex-trade is a major industry, although unofficial but to a certain extent controlled. Even Singapore, the 'most organized country in Asia', prostitution is a major source of income where a high concentration of expats with 30 day tourist visas come to work for licenced BMD Bars before leaving for home(Thailand, Philipines, Vietnam, India and other surrounding countries) for a quarantine period before returning to Singapore again for anotehr tour of duty. These girls are however working for the money and the money only.
There is also most often a clear link between drug abuse and prostitution where the main drive for entering the trade is easy money to finance addiction. This is what I believe drives a good percentage of our working girls. It is naturally easy to speculate if that is the case, but as we read 'kominke lapolis' in Nation on a daily basis, we find that a kot of our court cases are drug related and if a good percentage of our male convicts were busted for drug dealing, it is natural that a majority of our working girls are also working to finance their habit as selling oneself is fairly risk-free(prosecution wise) and easy money. Naturally there are other risks involved in the trade and fresh in mind is the body of a young woman found floating in the same area where prostitutes are to be found. Food for thought for those who are to carry out the study.
One thing is however clear and that is the fact that we have had a remarkable increase in prostitution and having that, we can also conclude with the fact that there is also an increase in curb-crawlers, i.e that there is an obvious market for prostitutes, else there would not have been an increase. Therefore the study may very well be found to be more complex than estimated. The conclusion may very well be that there has been an increase, but finding out ways how to eliminate, or at least reduce it, will be the real challenge.
I sincerely believe that the increase in prostitution is not only due to the need to prostitute oneself, but also the demand for prostitutes and that is where the government will undoubtedly find itself in a dilema. With an increase in expats, especially when a lot of those are unregistered(ref Khalifa's gang of 2000 illegals) in addition to other countless numbers who have both the purchase power and culture for hiring prostitutes, it is evident where a potential source of demand originates. It is neither a coincident that the place where prostitutes are 'marketing themselves' is directly en-route to/from IOT and other major ongoing construction project ghettos with a high expat concentration(ref Anse Etoile & Providence).
Patrolling the 'Flesh Market' at night may to a certain extent reduce the trade, but will merely force it to go underground or indoors to our discos and clubs, away from the streets, but nevertheless highly present. Making prostitution illegal will also force it undergound and mass arrests will congest our prisons even further not least exceed the capacity of our social welfare system, this expecially regarding our minors. we cannot start curfews amongst our expats either as this will violate certain human rights although this may be necessary as a preventive method.
I hope however that those conducting the planend study are competent enough to have open minds and evaluate the following in their survey:
- Relation between drug and alcohol addiction and prostitution in Seychelles
- Where is the demand for prostitutes, i.e are the clients mainly locals or expats?
- What is the age range of the clients? if the average client is young, then how can they afford to hire a pro?
- What background do our pros have and which age group do they represent?
The most important question however is probably:
- Who is behind our pros? Are they operating as sole traders or are they parts of a well organized groups controlled by a top gun? Bearing in mind that we have a bunch of new EDA citizens(I don't consider those as Seychellois) with mafia connections, the probability of an organized ring of prostitution is highly liable. In other words, this could be the beginning of an organized sex-trade that will brand our country and place it along with destinations known for it. If this is the case, then maybe the government does not want the truth to come out as it will blow right in their face as yet another failed policy gone horribly wrong.
I believe we have barely scratched the surface on this and I shudder to think at what kind of horrors we will find. Chances are however, knowing the PL and their transparency that is as clear as mud, the truth will be covered well hoping that it will go away by itself. Just like every other problem the country faces.
Patrick X
patrick_x@live.co.uk
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