There has been an increase in recruitment of underaged girls between the ages of 13-16 years as apprentice sex workers in many brothels within Portharcourt.
These mass recruitment of teenagers are done by old and retired female prostitutes who are no longer found attractive by their male customers, our investigation reveals.
A drive around GRA area of Port Harcourt few minutes past midnight, one sees these young teens dressed amorously, angling around and beckoning on potential customers for patronage.
The National Agency For Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons(NAPTIP) and the Ministry of Women Affairs in Rivers State seem to be doing little or nothing to curtail this ugly development.
Investigations reveal that these old and tired female prostitutes in charge of many brothels in PortHarcourt, go to interior villages outside the state to bring under-aged girls between the ages of 13-16 years on the pretence that they want to use them as domestic helps.
The old female prostitutes usually tell the parents of the girls that they are looking of the house helps to assist them in domestic works only for the prostitute to bring the teenage girls to PortHarcourt and make them swear oaths of allegiances not to run away or divulge information of their trade to their parents.
Our source revealed that the old female prostitutes negotiate with male customers that patronize these teenage girls they bring into the business and collect the money from them while the teenagers sleep with the customers.
Some of the young prostitutes who spoke to TPCN on the course of our investigations further revealed that the old female prostitutes buy food for their apprentices, provide logistics for hair making, buy their body cream and very many other personal effects.
They hinted that they usually serve as apprentices for one to one and half years before they are freed by their “Madams” who go back to the village to take another set of girls.
The victims revealed that one round of sex costs the male customer 500 naira while overnight sex costs the male customer 5,000 Naira.
They revealed that on days, they sleep with up to 20 men, while their Madam collects the money from the male customers.
Meanwhile, the NAPTIP Zonal Commander in charge of South-South, Effeh Erika, in his reaction when contacted to ascertain what the agency is doing about the incidents said the agency cannot be everywhere at the same time.
Mr Erika advised that the matter should be reported to the Police after confirming that the agency has the statutory responsibility of stopping trafficking of persons in any guise.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Barr(Mrs) Ukel Oyahgiri declined inquiries sent to her mobile phone.
Revelation online/Theportcitynews.com
