It’s despicable! “For a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well. Like a bandit she lies in wait and multiplies the unfaithful among men.” –Proverbs: 23:27. Though the Holy Bible lays blame on prostitution, it is one of the various disgraceful vices that take the front seat. Prostitution is often sugar-coated, dubbed a life savior to crowds of helpless women around the world. Much as it has grave consequences, modernized societies have embraced prostitution as a legal job. You have surely heard of prostitutes being referred to as commercial sex workers, not harlots, like they deserve to be called. I beg Rwanda to differ, in addressing sex trade. It is high time prostitution got revealed for what it is; people should only be allowed to tread the dead end of prostitution when they know the deathly impacts. Legalizing prostitution should not be considered. Prostitution is neither an idea nor a successful business. It’s rather a bloody activity, a business built on the blood and the humiliation of women. “However, what a sex worker endures on any given workday ranges from rape and physical violence to life-threatening abuse at the hands of her pimp, her johns, and even the occasional corrupt cop,” writes Andrea Dworkin, an American Anti-pornography Activist. Looking beyond a prostitute’s gorgeous looks, there is little to offer. Behind those walls in the dark rooms at night, our girls go through terrible violence, self-hatred and are exposed to drugs, as they try to disguise their identity to that of cheap nobody’s. “Being a prostitute is more like having a non focused miserable life. The past is so torturing yet you see no bright future. You lack reputation and friends yet you have an everlasting emptiness in your soul, “says Sifa Uwamahoro, reformed prostitute. It’s often taken for granted that girls are in prostitution because they want, BUT, many are thrown into becoming call girls by different situations. Poverty, being orphaned at a tender age, sexual harassment and domestic violence are some of the ridiculous origins of prostitution. Victims of such horrible situations need rehabilitation. Therefore; a work permit to sell their bodies would only add insult to injury. Value added tax at the cost of disregarding women would of course be mean. Additionally, permitting prostitution would attract many girls to slavery. No matter how women get into prostitution, it is difficult to get out of it. Violence and addiction to drugs and alcohol control women hence keeping them in prostitution. A prostitute will only get rehabilitated by God’s grace because there is no such thing as ‘personal resolution,’ in this trade. More so, there is no dignity in prostitution—it is not a job to be proud of. Apart from humiliating and exposing domination over women, the history and future of prostitutes is for eternity tormented. It’s almost impossible for a woman to emerge from sexual exploitation to positions of power. Several retired prostitutes remain powerless and an isolated class, owing to their past, they are tormented by their past. “Even ‘successful’ sex workers suffer from extreme emotional anguish and self-hatred,” writes Mellissa Farley, an American Prostitution and Education researcher.Of what benefit then, would legalizing prostitution be, yet even a multi-millionaire call girl will still suffer stigma, self-hatred and rejection from her community? In Rwanda where HIV is still a challenge, giving a green light to prostitution would only lure many to their grave. Anyway, why let our rich and beautiful culture suffer at the ruthless hand of prostitution? Even Lucifer would be surprised if Rwanda legalized prostitution. Take prostitution for what it really is, a cancer to integrity and not cure. lillianean@yahoo.com
