CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1.    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Prostitution is a common occurrence among the youths both in developed and developing countries. Prostitution is increasingly becoming normalized as a personal choice, and a legitimate sex work. It encompasses the trading of sex to meet subsistence needs such as food, clothing and shelter. The impact and damaged caused by prostitution is very often a public health issue and a question of public order. Both males and females have been reported to be involved in prostitution. Majority of this population is comprised of 14 – 22 years old girls (Barret, 1999), and prostitution among female adolescents is a growing phenomenon across the globe (Penna, Grinder, & Simao, 1991). Female prostitution is a concern from both a public health and an economic perspectives. The high proportion of secondary school youths involved in prostitution leads to concern about the risks associated with involving in prostitution for survival and other socio-demographic determinants of prostitution. The psychological and physical dangers inherent in prostitution make it among the most damaging repercussion of homelessness among youths (Greene, Ennett, & Ringwatt, 1999). Such dangers include physical and sexual assault in addition to suicide, drug addiction, depression, and infection with sexually transmitted agents such as HIV. Several important associations between life events and prostitution have been observed.. For girls, abuse in childhood, including sexual and physical abuse, substance use, and homelessness have been linked with entry into prostitution. Prostitution among female adolescents represents an important risk factor for the adolescents’ several health problems. Yet, the rate of prostitution among the female adolescents is rising and this raises concern from both public health and economic perspective about the risk associated with selling sex for making a living. Several studies across the regions in Nigeria have shown that sexual activity among adolescents is high and increasing and this is associated with the rising rate of prostitution among the female adolescents (Federal Ministry of Health-FMOH, 2005; Bankole, Oye-Adeniran, Singh, Adewole, Wulf, Sedgh & Hussain, 2006). According to Imaledo, Peter-Kio, and Asuquo (2012), about 1 in 5 of sexually active females had already engaged in sexual intercourse by the age of 15. This shows that there is rising case of involvement in prostitution among female adolescents. An adolescent is a young person who is in the age between childhood and adulthood, and who is usually between 12 to 19 years of age. From observation, majority of secondary school female adolescents engage in one form of trade or the order during or after school hours. Some serve in the restaurants. Some indirectly engage in prostitution in the guise of hawking. Others stay in brothels to sell sex. Some parade the streets with sexually inviting outfits. Ayado (2012) remarked that female adolescents usually appear in skimpy and emotionally provoking dresses, take excessive alcohol and are always ready for the highest bidder irrespective of the customer's state of health. Observation reveals that the number of these female adolescent prostitutes is increasing on daily basis. One of the prominent features of adolescence is increase in sex drive. Sex drive increases among the adolescents because of changes in hormone levels which lead to sexual maturation. Apart from increased urge for sex, the quest to appear like folks can make the adolescent to sell sex. Sometimes, the emotional, economic and or social needs of the adolescents can challenge them. For instance, as adolescents try to cope with barriers in the education system and labour market, they engage in sex in exchange for money or material gift which, in the latter case, is called prostitution (Borgen & Amundson, 2013). That is why Ogunkan, Omoruan, and Fawole (2010) expressed that of all the factors associated with prostitution, poverty is the most viable. For some adolescents, the last resort in trying to get the financial support and love that they need which their families and close relatives have not been able to provide is engagement in prostitution. Prostitution means the trading of sex to meet self needs. Prostitution refers to the custom of having sexual relations in exchange for economic gain (Damewood, 2013; Farlex 2013; Montaldo, 2013). Due to the sexual promiscuity surrounding prostitution, women involved in prostitution constitute a high risk group for the contraction and transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (Estebanez, Fitch, & Najera, 1993). In prostitution, sex is traditionally traded for money and can also be exchanged with jewelry, clothing, vehicles, housing, food or any other thing that has market value. A person who engages in prostitution is called a prostitute. According to Montaldo (2013), a prostitute can also be called a streetwalker, a sex worker, a hooker, escort, sex trade worker and a commercial sex worker, whore, strumpet, harlot and the oldest profession. However, people’s engagement in prostitution is determined by their socio-demographics in their environment. Socio-demographics entails common or varying sociological features of a given population such as age, marital status, education level, income level among others which influence the behaviour of a given population (Macmillan, 2013). Obinna (2005) reported that adolescents in urban centres more than their rural counterparts are found in prostitution. These conditions are causal elements or factors and are also called determinants. Determinants are factors which trigger an action. In this study, determinant refers to the factor or element which influences an adolescent’s involvement in prostitution. Various socio-demographic determinants have been adduced for prostitution among adolescents in Nigeria. These determinants include: poverty or hash economic conditions; lack of communication between parents and children about sex; high level of hard drug consumption, peer pressure among other factors (Obinna, 2005; Uzokwe, 2008). Poverty is the most common reason why most families support the sex services of their female children to augment their income in order to buy food or clothes and other necessities of life (Obinna, 2005). The case of child labour is a typical factor that exposes children to prostitution. Hubpages (2013) observed that the hired female children are sent out to hawk food items in the streets, motor parks, and mechanic garages, thereby, exposing them to rapes as well as sexual harassments. Bamgbose (2002) reported that the causes of adolescent prostitution in Nigeria are largely due to economic, sociological, and socio-economic factors. In addition, Edlund (2015) disclosed that factors related to entry into prostitution include age, early home leaving, childhood sexual abuse, and poor financial situation. Most adolescents indulge in prostitution because of some personal needs which are not provided to them by their care-givers. Adolescent have been reported to always have sex in exchange for gifts (Imaledo, Peter-Kio, & Asuquo, 2012). Hubpages (2013) observed that some females take to prostitution due to sheer destitution. When the girls are in dire lack, they may resort to prostitution as a way out. The author added that unemployment of either the parents or the child results in unreliable source of income thereby forcing children into prostitution as an alternative means of income to support the family. Adolescents’ family background has great contribution to child prostitution. Hubpages (2013) also noted that children of broken homes sleep wherever they see space to do so in the day, and go to the disco and nightclubs in the night where they may be exposed to experiences which may lure them into prostitution. Ill- treatment of children at home might make them to take to the street in order to find solace. Then, the end result may be the hawking of their body to support themselves. Many studies have indicated that women who engage in prostitution have a higher incidence of early childhood sexual abuse than women in general (Widom & Kuhns, 1996). Previous researches indicate that women who were sexually abused as children are more likely to become involved in prostitution (Simons & Whitbeck, 2013). Adolescents may be faced with a number of health hazards as they engage in prostitution which include physical and sexual assault, suicide, drug addiction, depression and infection with sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. It is hoped that this finding may draw the attention of the parents and guardians on the need to budget more money for the female adolescents’ personal needs (such as clothing, make-up kits among others) in addition to their educational expenses. Also, stringent measures will be meted out to control some of their extra-curricular activities in school linked to prostitution.

1.2.    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

 Prostitution is increasingly becoming normalized as a personal choice, and a legitimate sex work. Ideally, sex is supposed to be for the purpose of procreation and not for commercial reasons known as prostitution. Prostitution provides a woman with some form of economic stability and social support. It serves men’s sexual needs and meets women’s economic needs. Adolescents are not supposed to indulge in sexual relationship let alone commercializing it. Both males and females have been reported to be involved in prostitution, and majority of these adolescents are secondary school student adolescents. The rate of prostitution among the female adolescents is rising and this raises concern from both public health and economic perspective about the risk associated with selling sex for making a living. People who engage in prostitution behaviour often have traumatic backgrounds. It has been reported that Delta State has the highest cases of HIV and this is connected with high rate of prostitution in the State. Several studies across the regions in Nigeria, particularly Ndokwa LGA of Delta State have shown that sexual activity among adolescents is high and increasing, and this is associated with the rising rate of prostitution among the female adolescents The researcher observed that in Ndokwa LGA, adolescent females engage indiscriminately in prostitution which seems to be caused by constant interaction with their male counterparts during and after school hours. Eating café and inns in Ndokwa LGA, apart from their initial purpose for relaxation, have become havens for under-aged prostitutes. Little is known about the determinants of prostitution among in-school adolescents. Previous related studies relied primarily on cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Other demographic factors have been studied widely, but location has not been widely studied. There is virtually no published study conducted on socio-demographic determinants of prostitution among adolescents of secondary schools in Ndokwa LGA of Delta State, considering only female adolescents.

1.3.    OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study was to identify the socio-demographic determinants of prostitution among female adolescents of secondary schools in Ndokwa LGA of Delta State. Specifically, the study sought to identify the:

1. socio-economic determinants of prostitution among female adolescents;

2. Family background determinants of prostitution among female teenagers;

3. Early childhood sexual abuse determinants of prostitution among female teenagers;

4. Determinants of prostitution among female teenagers based on location.

1.4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the socio-economic determinants of prostitution among female teenagers?

2. What are the substance use determinants of prostitution among female teenagers?

3. What are the family background determinants of prostitution among female teenagers?

4. What are the early childhood sexual abuse determinants of prostitution among female teenagers?

5. What are the social support determinants of prostitution among female teenagers?

6. What are the determinants of prostitution among female teenagers based on location?

1.5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study would be of immense benefit to the girl child education and indeed the education sector as it would reveal the causes and solutions to teenage prostitution in Nigeria. The study would also be of importance to students, researchers and scholars who are interested in developing further studies on the subject matter.

1.6. SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study is restricted to teenage prostitution in secondary schools in Ndokwa west LGA, Delta state.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Financial constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview)

Time constraint: The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.