Story from Najib SANI, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Shariah Commission has disclosed plans to repatriate non-indegenous sex workers in the state back to their states of origin while it will marry off indigenous sex workers to tackle immorality in the state.
The Permanent Commissioner of the Commission in charge of ‘Hisbah’ (Islamic police) Aminu Balarabe Isah, told journalists on Tuesday that the Commission is concerned about the activities of commercial sex workers in the state.
He said this during a pre-Ramadan sensitisation meeting organised by his office for sex workers at their settlement in Bayan Gari area of Bauchi metropolis.
He said instead of arresting and punishing them, the Commission, in collaboration with the Ministry of Religious Affairs would return non-indigenous prostitutes willing to stop prostitution to their respective states and reunite them with their parents, while the indigenous prostitutes will be married off to their future husbands.
Aminu noted further that those who do not want to marry but are ready to give up prostitution would be supported by the government to start businesses or learn trades to earn a living.
“Hisbah is known for arrests of sex workers but this time around, we deemed it good to preach to them, rehabilitate them and look for ways of bringing them out of the ugly act.
“Many of these prostitutes during my discussion with them revealed that they indulge in such activities as a result of the problems they had with their stepmothers especially those whose mothers died or got divorced and were under the custody of their stepmothers.
Others indulged in prostitution as a result of being in abject poverty and lack of having guardians that can cater for them.
“They are not comfortable with their current situation. That’s why we are going to sit down with them, identify the natives and non-natives among them with a view to rescuing them and those who are not indigenes, we will liaise with their governments to see that they are taken back home and rehabilitated,” he said.
He added that many of the girls and women that indulged in the act of prostitution had problems with their families and others due to unwanted marriages, promising that the commission would broker reconciliation between them and their parents so that they could be resettled into their various places.
Also speaking, the Commissioner of Religious Affairs, Ahmed Jalam, who commended the Permanent Commissioner in charge of Hisbah for organising the sensitisation meeting urged the sex workers to cooperate so that the rehabilitation program would succeed.
Responding on behalf of other sex workers, Hafsa Aliyu assured that as far as a government will reconcile them with their parents and support them with capital to engage in businesses, they are ready to quit prostitution.
She expressed appreciation to the organisers of the sensitisation event for showing love and empathy for their condition, stressing that they too do not enjoy their present job.
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