Clients of Girl Child Prostitutes: Realities from Some Selected Areas of Addis Ababa
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Date
1998-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Knowledge of the clients of prostitutes has long-been recognized as an important means to
combat against prostitution in many countries. In Ethiopia, to date, very little is known
about the types of clients and their motives to go to prostitutes, in general and child
prostitutes, in particular.
The present study was conceived to partially jit/jill this knowledge gap through an
exploration of the nature of clients of child prostitutes. Three groups of informants have
been used to collect data for the study: girl-informants, procurer-informants, and clientinformants.
In addition, non-participatory observation has been made. This paper
summarized some of the empirical findings of the survey. Throughout, emphasis has been
directed towards providing insights into the nature and motives of clients of child
prostitutes.
The analysis of the profile of clients showed that most clients are young and middle-aged
men, from all social and economic groups. Great variation is seen in terms of the motives
why clients go to child prostitutes. Clients are pushed and pulled by a lot of factors to go to
child prostitutes. Based up on their reasons for going to child prostitutes seven typologies
of clients have been identified: virginity predators, exploitative perpetrators, opportunistic
perpetrators, illusory egoist perpetrators. infirm perpetrators, sexual-aim rapists, and
protective perpetrators. The sex related practices of clients implied a trend of change from
penetrative sexual intercourse to non-penetrative sexual outer course. The lenient
enforcement of the law encourages clients to go to child prostitutes. These findings support
the view that the preference for younger girls to commercial sexual services spread child
prostitution.
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Keywords
Clients of Girl Child Prostitutes