Some things are said and done but you never realize how true and serious they are until you are directly involved. The other day I was talking to a group of girls in the neighborhood and I was really interested in knowing what they do for a living since they are ever indoors. (Don't think I was prying on their lives we were only having this girl talk when the topic arose.) The girls who are barely 20yrs old boldly told me they are in prostitution business. As much as I pitied them, I couldn't help but wonder why such beautiful and innocent looking souls ended up being night hookers.
Several factors have led to these and many other girls in
Naivasha engage in this dirty business. To them, it is the easiest way to put
meals on their table everyday, get nice clothes and many other needs. But the
bitter truth is that they are physically and emotionally abused, dominated and
terrorised by the men. Many people are ignorant of the facts and thinks that
this is just another career path those girls have chosen. It is however an
abuse they have to endure to make sure they survive.
Naivasha sub-county is well known for its high level of
prostitution and especially the surrounding towns like Mai Mahiu and Karagita.
This disgusting business booms due to the high number of tracks drivers and
their turn boys who lodge in these towns.I have to admit that its in Naivasha I
first experienced call girls standing on the streets at night trying their
luck.
After talking to my 'new found friends', they revealed to me
they are in fact not the youngest lot who practices this business. Other girls
young enough to be primary school kids are also involved. With parents earning
little on the surrounding flower farms, the young girls cannot afford being
kids. Even with the introduction of FPE a decade ago, young girls in Naivasha
are being denied their right to education.
This information leaves me worried and with a lot of questions
running through my mind. I don't like playing the blame game but in this case I
have to ask, who is to blame for the fate of these young souls? Who's
responsibility is it to ensure the girls are in school and tucked in bed at
night and not chasing after men at night?
As much as we like blaming the government on many things, I
think the parents and the society have failed somewhere. We no longer have the
spirit of being each others keeper and the African child no longer the
responsibility of the entire community as it used to be. We have so much been
overwhelmed by the western culture that we have forgotten who we really are. As
I log off for the day, I will leave you with a question, where are we headed?
Do we have hope for tomorrow if we expose our future generation the way those
kids are exposed?
