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

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