Thu, 25 Jan 2018 17:03:03 +0000
By Edward Mwango
IT is a household for notorious illicit activities, sex to be precise.
Others choose to diplomatically call it a ‘Guest House’ or ‘Lodge’.
Despite all these tags, a brothel will remain a brothel since it is associated with bad vices such as illicit sex.
According to Collins English dictionary, a brothel is a building where men can go to pay to have sex with prostitutes.
There are various definitions of this forbidden house, where men visit prostitutes, a house or place where men pay to have sexual intercourse with prostitutes or a house of prostitution.
Often times it has been ridiculed as a house of ill repute, house of prostitution; disorderly house; house of ill fame, among other bad tags.
According to US legal on brothel law and legal definition, a brothel is a place of prostitution.
Legal experts state that brothels are illegal in almost all states adding that legal brothels exist in Nevada and are subject to licensure by the state.
By law, Nevada brothels cannot advertise and characteristics of Nevada brothels should follow guidelines below:
- Out in the middle of the desert.
- Require condoms.
- Women are supposed to accept any customer.
- They have no choice as do women working independently (and illegally).
- There are no set prices because technically each woman is an independent contractor, not a brothel employee, so each has her own prices and list of what she’ll do.
Various laws may be applicable to running a brothel, such as pandering and prostitution laws.
An Arizona law defines a brothel as: “House of prostitution” meaning any building, structure or place used for the purpose of prostitution or lewdness or where acts of prostitution occur.”
In Lusaka, most compounds are famed for having brothels under the guise of guest houses or lodges.
Some compounds where these infamous brothels are found include, Chawama, Kanyama, Chaisa and Kabwata Township.
The Lusaka City Council-LCC- has often times conducted night operations, jointly done with the Zambia Police and the Zambia Department of Immigration, in which some sex dens or brothels had been raided.
In 2014 the LCC busted a Chinese sex den right in the Central Business District of Lusaka.
This was when LCC health inspectors stormed Thabc Guest House for allegedly operating as a sex den.
The guest house had been operating under the brand name, Mama’s chicken restaurant, which consisted of 10 rooms and was run by a Chinese national, Chez Zhong Mey.
According to local media reports, although the Chinese national had valid certificates from the LCC to operate a guest house, he did not have a health permit.
The LCC has since dealt with numerous cases in which some businesspersons had been operating brothels under the guise of guest houses or massage parlours.
Prostitution and running of brothels in Zambia is illegal hence the reason why some businesspersons are cashing in on this illicit business which has seen a rise in immoral activities in most compounds.
In Chawama compound where there are reports of mushrooming brothels, sex workers from Zimbabwe have reportedly found solace there, charging lower fees than their Zambian counterparts.
In 2004, Zambian sex workers were reportedly engaged in running battles with Zimbabwean rivals in the same trade who had invaded the southern resort city of Livingstone.
Pan African News Agency-PANA- quoted then Livingstone Member of Parliament confirming that physical fights for “business” stands had become common in the resort.
“Here I am not talking of mere verbal abuse and insults but frequently the situation degenerates into real fights that have to be separated by law enforcement agents,” the law maker was quoted as saying.
The law maker accused owners of guest houses and boarding houses in Livingstone of encouraging the illicit trade by allowing women from Zimbabwe and other parts of Zambia to spend days there so long as they paid for their rooms.
Accordingly, since laws on prostitution do not exist in Zambia offenders get away with a minimal charge of idling and disorderly conduct and the perpetrators are ready to take the risk.
Prostitution in Zambia is regarded as a public nuisance with offenders charged with either idling or disorderliness or both contrary to Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
The offence attracts a fine or a possible jail sentence depending on the circumstances and evidence produced.
This means that there is no offence known as prostitution under Zambian laws rather the act itself is a ‘nuisance’ under the Public Order Act Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.”
Last year the Zambia Immigration Department rounded up seven Zimbabwean female sex workers in Chawama while in 2008 the department sent back 60 suspected Zimbabwean sex workers to their country of origin following a raid on some guest houses in Livingstone.
86 people among them Zambians were rounded up for allegedly engaging in prostitution in the tourist capital.
With the mushrooming of guest houses in most compounds in Lusaka especially Chawama, Zimbabwean sex workers have found solace there, two years after they invaded the country masquerading as cross-border traders selling a variety of merchandise.
The Zimbabwean sex workers are reportedly cashing in from Zambian men in Chawama and Kuku townships where they lodge at two named notorious guest houses.
The Immigration Department had since conducted operations to remove sex workers from the compound where some ‘guest houses’ have been closed.
In Africa, the legal status of prostitution varies widely and is frequently common in practice, partially driven by the widespread poverty in many sub-Saharan African countries.
In other countries, prostitution may be legal, but brothels are not allowed to operate. In some countries where prostitution is illegal, the law is rarely enforced.
Meanwhile, Lusaka City Council-LCC- Public Relations Manager, George Sichimba has admitted in a telephone interview with the Daily Nation, that it was proving difficult to finger out specific brothels in Lusaka due to passiveness among communities to report the culprits to relevant authorities.
“Brothels are a nuisance in any community but the challenge we have now is residents in these compounds where the business is rife are not reporting the vice.
“We need to be led by the residents in those areas who should lead us to specific guest houses where illicit activities are taking place,” said Mr Sichimba.
An on-line site, how Africa, the rise of Africa lists the World’s Top 10 Countries with the most Prostitutes with Nigeria being the only African country.
According to the report every year, about 3 million people travel on sex tourism trips and this figure is on the rise.
Currently, there are more than 25 organized sex tour companies based in Miami, New York, and San Diego. This trend looks unlikely to change anytime in the near future.
Below is a list of the ten countries with the most sex workers per 10,000 people:
10. Thailand-45 sex workers per 10,000 Prostitution is actually illegal in Thailand, however in practice it is tolerated and partly regulated.
9. Germany-49 sex workers per 10,000 unlike other European Union countries, prostitution, even street prostitution, is wide spread, organized, and legal in Germany. It’s little wonder when you consider that organized prostitution in the country dates back to the 1200’s AD.
8. Malaysia-52 sex workers per 10,000 Prostitution is huge in Malaysia, however the dark side is strong. The United States has put Malaysia on the blacklist of countries with the worst cases of human trafficking and human rights abuse, including child prostitution.
7. Brazil-53 sex workers per 10,000 the act of prostitution itself (exchanging sex for money) in Brazil is legal, but it is illegal to run a brothel or to employ prostitutes in any other way.
6. China-60 sex workers per 10,000 Prostitution is illegal in China but has been relegated to the status of a misdemeanour. Some researchers have conservatively estimated that there are as many as 10 million active prostitutes in China at any given time who contribute as much as five percent to the country’s annual GDP as most of the earned income, although not taxed, goes back into the economy through consumption.
5. Nigeria-63 sex workers per 10,000 A sex tourism market for divorced older western women is on the rise in the country.
4. Philippines-85 sex workers per 10,000 The Philippines offers female company in the form of “bargirls”. Girls here often wear their “bargirl” ID tags in noticeable places, and are supposed to be regularly tested for STDs.
3. Peru- 102 sex workers per 10,000 Prostitution is legal for women over 18 years of age if they register with municipal authorities and carry a health certificate, and brothels must be licensed. Sadly, child prostitution in Peru has doubled in recent years.
2. South Korea-110 sex workers per 10,000 despite legal sanctions and police crackdowns, prostitution continues to flourish in S Korea, while sex workers continue to actively resist the state’s activities.
1. Venezuela-119 sex workers per 10,000 Poor economic conditions in the country have tripled the number of sex workers here; even so, only one fifth of the workers actually are born in Venezuela.
Now that prostitution is increasingly becoming an eyesore in Zambia, members of society in compounds dotted with brothels should team up against these houses of illicit sex and ensure that culprits are brought to book
