Maureen: "When I reported my rape to the police, they arrested me"

Seventeen year-old Maureen* is a sex worker in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa. She moved to Mombasa six months ago from her native home of Kisii, in western Kenya. Still deeply affected by her parents' divorce, she told IRIN PlusNews how she ended up making a living selling sex.

"Growing up, my parents used to fight so much. My dad used to get drunk and throw my mother out to spend the night outside the house. They split up and got back together many times, but it always ended badly because of his drinking.

"Eventually, when I was in Class Three [eight years old], my mom couldn't take it anymore and left for good. My dad left us with her mother, my grandmother; he said he couldn't look after us.

"I dropped out of school after Class Three and helped my grandma look after the younger ones.

"Last year, I started to go into Kisii town to look for money. In the bars, men would give me money and I would sleep with them. After a while, one of my friends said I was wasting my time in Kisii; she said there was much more money to be made in Mombasa.

"I came in February and started working straight away; I work on a busy street with many bars. I make more money than I did before - about 300 shillings [US $4.50] per customer, but my rent is 350 shillings [$5.30] a day, so I have to make enough for rent and food. It's hard work but I don't have any education or skills, so this is my only option.

"I have had to toughen up - when I first came I was green and could be easily conned. One day a man came to me in the street and paid me 1,000 shillings [$15] up front; he said he was taking me to his place, but when we got there, five other guys were there and they raped me.

"In the morning I went to the hospital and was given some medicines to take for one week. I also took an HIV test, which was negative. Since then I cannot agree to have sex without a condom, but sometimes they break or they don't work properly. I live in fear of being infected with HIV.

"When I reported [the rape] to the police, they arrested me for being a prostitute...I was locked up for one month. After I got out I came back to my street to carry on with my work.

"I think about my brothers and sisters back home so much...I really miss them. I have been home once, but there are too many painful memories and too much hardship; I can never go back to live there."

kr/kn