Commercial workers in Bo City, located in southern Sierra Leone, have raised concerns about the abuse and intimidation they have been experiencing despite the lucrative nature of their trade. Bo City is known to have the highest concentration of sex workers in the entire country of West Africa, as revealed in a recent study conducted by IPSS.
During the International Sex Worker's Day event organized by Kakua Hospice and its partners in Bo, Kemoh Mansaray, a guest speaker, highlighted the study's findings. Sex workers in the city expressed their professionalism in their line of work but shared their grievances about facing harassment from certain clients and security personnel.
"One of the challenges we encounter is that some customers have poor hygiene, and sometimes the police arrest us as early as 9 or 10 PM," shared one of the sex workers present at the event.
Another worker voiced her frustration, explaining that she engages in this profession to support her three children but unfortunately faces abuse from some clients.
It is important to note that while prostitution itself is not illegal in Sierra Leone, law enforcement often utilizes the Public Order Act to detain commercial workers under charges of loitering.
In related news, AdvocAid, a human and women's rights organization has taken legal action against Sierra Leone at the ECOWAS court. They argue that the country's loitering laws contradict international human rights standards.