Community of Palwar of Magwi County are now calling on the government to intervene and apprehend businessmen who are using their wealth to sexually abuse women and girls in the area.
In a round table discussion Radio Emmanuel held in Palwar on Thursday with support from Caritas Luxembourg, the community members say sexual exploitation has become common in the area.
They say, the businessmen take advantage of the poor standard of living the population is going through. They offer small gifts like clothes, pair of shoes, cosmetics or even cash in exchange of sex with women and girls.
“This practice is commonly experienced during a monthly auction bay in Palwa Market where business men from different locations within Magwi and other neighbouring towns including Ugandans bring their goods to Palwar for trade.
A teacher at Palwar Primary School, Omwony Mark, says Palwar community has always been able to access most essential goods on the auction day, but some men have turned the day for sexual exploitation against women and girls.
“Every 18th of the month, there is an auction bay here in Palwar where business men come from different places like Pajok, Magwi, Obbo, Lobone even from Uganda. This is a big day where people come to buy things for their families. In relation to this sexual exploitation, some business men and women take this day to give things for free for girls for sex in return, this is under sexual exploitation. I have witnessed”.
He calls on the government and relevant authorities to keep watch and apprehend the offenders.
Mark argues that business people should not use their goods to exploit the vulnerable population.
In related development, another community member Ayaa Rose also accuses some women of getting involved in sexual exploitation.
“Not all the business men coming in Palwar are doing this but the few who are doing it, we are not stopping them from coming to sell their goods here, but, telling them to change from their bad behaviour. They should not use their wealth to exploit the poor population. We have people who cannot have access to the markets to buy things, but Palwar auction day is the only day for us to buy things for our families. I’m requesting the local government to keep watch on action day and in case they get one of these people, then the victim have to be penalized”.
She adds that women in Palwar have forgotten their motherhood responsibilities.
“women are taking alcohol at high level of which if a woman have started drinking alcholol she will start to compete with a man of which she want to drink alcohol upto the level of a man whereby now if you hear that some women are locking young boys in their house to be as their husband by force and this is as aresult of alcoholism by the women. Even the children have also involved in too much drinking and taking marajuana. This is what I have observed happening in our community here, it is so painful to us indeed, your child who is 15 years of which should study and continue further you will find that the child is already infected with HIV. Then in tommorrow the child will have no future, the child cannot do something good in the family, home”.
The community attribute the sexual exploitation and abuse in the area to alcoholism, poverty, lack of parental care and idleness.
The round table discussion conducted by Radio Emmanuel in Palwar is supported by Fondation Caritas Luxembourg.
The discussion brought together teachers, pupils, law enforcement personnel, community and religious leaders.