The Overlook Misery of Sex workers and Adolescent Girls

“People see us as trash, not human beings,” said Mekdes, 19, a sex worker who did not want to use her real name. She continued, “we are not guaranteed sexual and physical rights and we face many health problems. Sometimes we even get beaten up or raped by the police”.

Research shows that 17.5% of female sex workers have experienced physical assault and 15.2% have experienced rape since they started selling sex. It is believed that this number is potentially much higher as sexual violence is under-reported, especially among sex workers.

In some parts of the country, sexual violence against adolescent girls is also extremely high. Some research shows that 60.2% of total rape cases occur among children and adolescents.

Sex workers and adolescent girls not only face an increased risk of GBV, new HIV infections, sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy, and many more health problems but are also marginalized from most social and health services.

The time to act is now. Ethiopia needs targeted efforts to reduce the vulnerability of FSWs and adolescent girls. Neglecting these populations only worsens social and health problems with ripple effects in the community for generations to come.

Communities need to be engaged in raising awareness on how to prevent and report GBV. They also need to inform GBV survivors about centers where they can receive free medical, psychological, and legal services, which is not widely known. We can also educate communities to avoid the stigma surrounding sex workers and GBV survivors.