Thérèse (not her real name), 23, is from Cameroon and has lived in Gabon since 2007 when a family friend – whom she calls her cousin – brought her. The friend gave money to Thérèse’s parents and said the young woman would work in a restaurant in the capital Libreville. But within months Thérèse was forced to have sex for money.
“For the first few months, things went fine. Then one day, when we were in the restaurant, my cousin asked me to spend the night with one of the customers. I wanted to refuse but it was impossible. She told me that this was part of my job and that I would not be free until I had reimbursed all the money she had given to my parents.
“After a lot of heavy pressure [from my cousin], I went along with it, knowing how tough things are back in my country. In Cameroon I was unemployed and depended on my parents, despite the fact that I had a diploma.
“For me it was dirty, it was shameful, but the real prostitutes in the area told me that I should consider it a means of being independent and that I could help my sisters back in my country in the same way. They told me they sometimes spend the night with more than 15 men; for me it is three at most.
“What was difficult to come to terms with was that at the beginning my cousin shut me in a bedroom and gave the keys to the men who would take turns with me. I went along with it, to avoid the genital pain that resulted whenever I resisted.
“Some men hire me for 20,000 CFA francs (US$40) per night, which is a lot of money. But [the money] is for my cousin.
“I use condoms recommended by my cousin and I get medical exams to make sure I do not have any infections. In fact I just came from getting an HIV test; it was negative.
“What hurts me is that I did not know what was waiting for me [when I left my country to come here]. And why would my parents accept such a thing?
“My cousin does not even pay me, outside of just enough money to have a meal a day – about 1,000 to 1,500 CFA francs ($2 to $3).
“I am troubled; I cannot file a complaint against my cousin. If I were to do so, how would I live?”
od/np/aj
“For the first few months, things went fine. Then one day, when we were in the restaurant, my cousin asked me to spend the night with one of the customers. I wanted to refuse but it was impossible. She told me that this was part of my job and that I would not be free until I had reimbursed all the money she had given to my parents.
“After a lot of heavy pressure [from my cousin], I went along with it, knowing how tough things are back in my country. In Cameroon I was unemployed and depended on my parents, despite the fact that I had a diploma.
“For me it was dirty, it was shameful, but the real prostitutes in the area told me that I should consider it a means of being independent and that I could help my sisters back in my country in the same way. They told me they sometimes spend the night with more than 15 men; for me it is three at most.
“What was difficult to come to terms with was that at the beginning my cousin shut me in a bedroom and gave the keys to the men who would take turns with me. I went along with it, to avoid the genital pain that resulted whenever I resisted.
“Some men hire me for 20,000 CFA francs (US$40) per night, which is a lot of money. But [the money] is for my cousin.
“I use condoms recommended by my cousin and I get medical exams to make sure I do not have any infections. In fact I just came from getting an HIV test; it was negative.
“What hurts me is that I did not know what was waiting for me [when I left my country to come here]. And why would my parents accept such a thing?
“My cousin does not even pay me, outside of just enough money to have a meal a day – about 1,000 to 1,500 CFA francs ($2 to $3).
“I am troubled; I cannot file a complaint against my cousin. If I were to do so, how would I live?”
od/np/aj
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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