G-L Community,

This morning while I was reading the publication of the Daily Observer
(Gambia's) of 08/27/99, I stumbled on a very shocking, disturbing and
disheartening news about the alarming rate of prostitution among Gambian
women in Sweden.  This is because, they are dubbed "the new breed of whores"
by the Press in Sweden and to say the least that phenomenon is far from being
Gambian.  I thought that it is pertinent to share the story with The Gambian
Community at large so that together we ponder over this malignant situation.
Below is the full text of the story as carried by the Daily Observer:

The Swedish media has recently reported that Gambian women in Sweden are
highly involved in prostitution rackets operating in Swedish cities.

According to the Swedish Daily News of August 20, "Women from The Gambia,
Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda are in the frontline of prostitution in
Sweden."

The report described Gambian prostitutes scouring Swedish streets as "the new
breed of whores," young in their 20s and 30s and UNSKILLED. (My choice to lay
emphasis on unskilled).

The Daily News quoted a Tanzanian Sociologist, Sulusi Sjo, who spent 14
months interviewing African prostitutes, as saying, "the prostitutes are
mostly divorced, but some of them are girls who have been forced onto the
streets by want."

Sjo continued, "they earn a lot of money which they take home to attract
their friends and relatives."

The Gambian prostitutes who talked to the Daily News Reporter told him that
during the day, they take care of their children and use welfare dependency.
"But, during the night, we wear our most beautiful dresses and get ready for
the street customers," they said.

According to the Reporter, Gambian prostitutes who are about sixty in number
are highly sophisticated.  "They go out with fully charged mobile phones.
They take very good care of themselves.  They are very careful not to bruise
themselves and make every possible means to avoid HIV infection."

The boom in sex trade between White men and African prostitutes follows the
declaration last January by the Swedish Government that prostitution is
illegal.  The story concludes.

On a personal note, I must admit that reading this story brought back to
memory some of the "fanatical" reasons (atleast that is how most of us view
them), why our elders were/are skeptical about sending girls/women abroad
especially, the ones who are UNLETTERED, UNSKILLED and UNMARRIED.  Simple and
archaic as this reasoning may sound, the above story if accurate and let me
hasten to say at this point that I have no reason to doubt its correctness
until otherwise, proven wrong.  Their ( the elders) skepticisms and arguments
holds water and has been given a resounding vindication herein.  Nonetheless,
after all has been said and done, I urge our sisters in the diaspora and
elsewhere, together with us (brothers) to take a critical look at ourselves
and where we came from and what we subscribe to as far as our individual
religions and cultures are concern and stay away/desist from such ungodly
trade.

Finally this is my narrow perception of the issue, no malice after all,
everyone for him or herself but God Almighty for everyone.  I just thought
that we should be each others keeper.

Good luck,
OB

Ps:  Mistakes and omissions if any, are mine and unintended. OB

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