SAN FRANCISCO, June 15, (THEWILL) – A community based organization of sex workers, Ohotu Diamond Women Initiative (ODWI) has called for help over the alleged ill treatment its members receive from policemen.
In a statement made available to newsmen, the organization disclosed that sex workers are easy targets for randy policemen who harass and rape them without protection.
“Sex workers deserve the basic respect and protection from violence that each nation owes its citizens. But in many settings, police abuse of sex workers receives scant public attention despite its entrenched global reality,” it said in a statement.
“Many of us face violence and discrimination on a regular basis. Regardless of which State or tribe we are from, many of us have experienced being raped, verbally, emotionally and physically abused by police, clients and community members.
“There is an unfair discrimination from service providers. Sex workers are not protected or defended by the law when they are exploited and abused. We demand that these violations stop immediately and decisive action is taken against perpetrators.
“Time without numbers, the Policemen break our doors to start packing us like goats to the station. If you don’t have money to bail yourself, they will say they want to sleep with you unprotected which is very bad.
“As a woman in the brothel, we protect ourselves, we use condoms, but with the Policemen, you don’t have a say.”
Executive Director of SafeHeaven Development Initiative, Margaret Onah also criticised the method of which Policemen uses to extort money from sex workers.
“It is dehumanising when Policemen abuses, sex workers the way they do. We are using this channel to voice out our pains in the course of survival. The government needs to do something about it.
“It is better if sex workers are charged to court than naming them, harassing them, stealing their money, stealing their properties, and having sex with them unprotected.”
“The Police needs to re-strategise. The fact that sex work is illegal doesn’t mean that they should kill anyone find doing the job.
“Sex workers are citizen of this country first of all, and they need to be respected like every other citizen.”
Story by David Oputah
