By Michael Gwarisa in Kadoma
The sun is about to set in Battlefields, a community situated approximately 35 kilometers outside Kadoma City. Behind the police station, a few yards from the railway line, in a makeshift mining settlement, young girls in their early teens appear from all directions, instantly bringing the mining community to life.
Young men in tattered and soiled clothes emerge from the mining pits, and one can’t help but notice how popular these young men are with the ladies and young girls. In no time, the young men and girls engage in conversation, probably negotiating the price for services soon to be rendered under the cover of darkness.
This has become the daily life in the Battlefields community over the years and according to health officials in the area, the number of children selling sex has increased over the past few months, and so has the incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
It’s all about survival,” says Lorrain Phiri*, a 14-year-old girl from Muzvezve in Kadoma. “I have stopped going to school. My mother is a single mother and she has not been feeling well. Selling sex is the only way I can help her.”
Muzvezve comprises mainly of commercial farming communities. However, the discovery of gold in nearby areas has given the communities new health problems. Lorrain’s mother works in one of the farms. However, her ill health has immobilised her. Lorrain says she started selling sex early this year after her friends convinced her it was easy to make money at the mining fields.
“Sometimes we go to Patchway, there is gold there these days. However, there is too much competition so I have been coming here,” added Lorrain.
Millions of girls face Lorrain’s predicament this year following the devastating drought that has hit Zimbabwe. About 6 million people in rural areas, and 1.7 million in urban areas will require food assistance, according to the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZIMLAC). Zimbabwe is ranked high in the 2021 UNICEF Children’s Climate Risk Index.
The hunger and severe food insecurity situation has forced many girls and young women into sex work. In Mashonaland West, mining communities such as Mhangura, Mhondoro Ngezi, Makoende, Sanyati, Chakari and many others, have become hot-spots for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and new HIV infections. Inter-generational sexual relations and low-risk perception are among some of the highest drivers of new HIV infections and STIs in Mashonaland West.
The Acting Sister in Charge at Battlefields Clinic, Ester Muza told HealthTimes in an interview that they have been recording an increase in Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) at the clinic mainly from artisanal miners, sex workers and adolescent girls who sell sex.
“Young girls come here seeking treatment for STIs at this clinic. These are adolescents from either 14 to 24 years. Comparing the number of young girls who sell sex and that of older sex workers who come for STIs treatment ,I would say it’s a 50/50 scenario. Over the past six months from November 2023 to April 2024, you find that the number of STIs has been going up. In November 2023, we recorded 22 STIs here, December we recorded 17, January we had 38, February 38, March 41 and April 38,” said Sr Muza.
She said given their vulnerability, the clinic offers special treatment to adolescents in a bid to protect them form infections.
“When they come here, we try to handle them with extra care because we know we will be dealing with children. We treat them free of charge and we give them condoms because we have noticed an increase in the number of girls coming for treatment meaning unprotected sex is happening.”
She added that artisanal mining coupled high drug and substance abuse, and low risk perception are some of the major driver of STIs in the area. In some instances she says the girls have revealed that the miners may intentionally drill holes or pinch the condom. They believe unprotected sex gives them value for their money.
The young adolescent sex workers have however brought new headaches to programmers. While the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV AIDS Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR) static clinic stationed at Kadoma General Hospital has also been recording an increase in clients seeking STI treatment among the 14 to 24 year olds, they have been struggling to reach them.
“Here is Kadoma we have girls aged 15 to 19 coming here seeking STI screening and treatment. However, we have a challenge with this age group because they are a hard to reach group because most of them do not want to be tested for HIV and if we initiate them on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxes (PrEP), they do not come for their refills,” said Tsitsi Murare, a nurse Counselor at CESHAR based at Kadoma Hospital.
The National AIDS Council (NAC) has however warned that the cases of children selling sex will likely increase at the back of the prevailing drought.
Amnot Chipandambira, the NAC District AIDS Coordinator (DAC) for Sanyati District also told this publication that the incidence of sex work was going to increase across all ages at the back of the Elnino Induced drought.
“The drought is definitely a contributory factor because their livelihood options are limited and the easiest one is that of using their bodies to generate income and to survive. So the drought has contributed and it’s going to be worse this year,” said Mr Chipandambira.
Meanwhile, NAC is implementing the Sister to Sister Program in a bid to instill behaviour change and reduce the vulnerability of girls that’s may be pushing them into se work.
