Prostitution in Africa

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  Prostitution legal and regulated
  Prostitution (the exchange of sex for money) legal, but brothels are illegal, prostitution is not regulated
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The legal status of Prostitution in Africa varies widely. It is frequently common in practice, partially driven by the widespread poverty in many sub-Saharan African countries,[1] and is one of the drivers for the prevalence of AIDS in Africa.[2] (36.9% in sub-Saharan Africa)[3] Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire permit the operations of brothels. In other countries, prostitution may be legal, but brothels are not allowed to operate. In some countries where prostitution is illegal, the law is rarely enforced.

Transactional sexual relationships are particularly common in sub-Saharan Africa, where they often involve relationships between older men and younger women or girls. In many cases, the woman in a transactional sexual relationship may remain faithful to her boyfriend, while he may have multiple sexual partners. In both of these cases, transactional sex presents an increased risk of HIV infection. As a result, transactional sex is a factor involved in the spread of AIDS in Africa.

This page uses the UN system of subregions.

Table

Country/Territory Prostitution Legal Age for solicitation Brothels Pimping Notes
 Angola Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal Prostitution remains a major problem. Female and Child prostitutes are often trafficked into China and vice versa.
 Botswana Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Burkina Faso Legal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Burundi Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Cameroon Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal Child prostitution remains a major problem, however the government is working hard combating it.
 Cape Verde Uncertain Uncertain Uncertain Uncertain
 Central African Republic Illegal Illegal Illegal Illegal
 Ceuta Uncertain, but prostitution itself isn't considered a crime Uncertain Illegal Illegal <templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Main article: Prostitution in Spain
 Democratic Republic of Congo Illegal, but tolorated Not allowed, but tolorated, age is uncertain Illegal, but tolorated Illegal, but tolorated
 Djibouti Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Egypt Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal

Males are considered a witness and is exempt of punishment for testifying against the prostitute. The penalty for prostitutes is 3–36 months in prison and/or a fine. Any minor involved in prostitution is sent to a sort of corrective centre, where conditions are often as bad if not worse than they are in adult prisons
 Eritrea Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Ethiopia Legal Uncertain Illegal Illegal Profiting from prostitution isn't allowed by law.
 Gambia Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Ghana Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Guinea-Bissau Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Ivory Coast Legal 18 Illegal Illegal
 Kenya Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal Child Prostitution is a major problem, especially along the coast.
 Liberia Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal Although Illegal, due to widespead poverty and corruption, prostitution remains a problem
 Libya Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Madagascar Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Malawi Illegal, rarely enforced Not allowed, rarely enforced, age uncertain Illegal, rarely enforced Illegal, rarely enforced
 Morocco Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Mozambique Legal age uncertain Illegal Illegal
 Mali Legal age uncertain Illegal Illegal
 Namibia Legal age uncertain Illegal Illegal
 Niger Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Nigeria Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal The Nigerian government is looking into legalizing prostitution
 Rwanda Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Senegal Legal 21 Illegal Illegal
 Sierra Leone Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal Although illegal, prostitution remains a major problem, especially child prostitution.
 Seychelles Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal The police often look the other way at prostitutes.
 Somalia Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 South Africa Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 South Sudan Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Swaziland Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Tanzania Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal Tanzanian law forbids prostitution
 Togo Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal Although illegal, child sex tourism has remained a major problem.
 Tunisia Illegal, but tolorated Not allowed, but tolorated, age is uncertain Illegal, but tolorated Illegal
 Uganda Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Western Sahara Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
 Zambia Legal Uncertain Illegal Illegal
 Zimbabwe Illegal Not allowed Illegal Illegal
Country/Territory Prostitution Legal Age for solicitation Brothels Pimping Notes

Northern Africa

Egypt

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Main article: Prostitution in Egypt

Prostitution in Egypt is illegal.[4] Police department officially combats prostitution but, like almost all other countries, prostitution exists in Egypt. The prostitutes in Egypt are Egyptian, Russian, and of many other nationalities.[5][6][7][8]

Libya

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Main article: Prostitution in Libya

Prostitution in Libya is illegal.[9] Many of the sex workers are from neighboring countries desperate to flee the povery of their countries.[9]

Morocco

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Prostitution has been illegal in Morocco since the 1970s. [10]

Many children are vulnerable as adoption laws in Morocco are very rigid and difficult. Morocco's increasing reputation for attracting foreign pedophiles made it sign various international treaties to deal with the problem.[11][12][13][14] [15][16] Male prostitution exists but is stigmatised.[17] Health services for Moroccan sex workers include OPALS.[14][18][19][20]

Traditionally, women's roles in North African society have been rigidly defined, particularly so with increasing Islamification. Yet the economic and social realities often provide few alternatives to many Moroccan women, and the area has increasingly been seen as permissive to prostitution.[21]

Tunisia

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Main article: Prostitution in Tunisia

Prostitution in Tunisia is illegal, but, as in many other countries, the laws that ban prostitution are ignored and there are many brothels, tolerated and regulated by the authorities.[22]

Western Africa

Burkina Faso

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Main article: Prostitution in Burkina Faso

Prostitution in Burkina Faso is not specifically prohibited by the law, but soliciting and pimping are illegal.[23]

Cape Verde

Sex tourism is a major occurrence in Cape Verde.[24]

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

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Main article: Prostitution in Ivory Coast

In Côte d'Ivoire, prostitution itself (exchanging sex for money) is legal, but associated activities, such as soliciting, pandering or running brothels, are illegal.[25] The civil war has left many women in need for wages, so some have resorted to prostitution, as there is high unemployment.[26]

The Gambia

Prostitution in the Gambia is illegal and highly a social taboo[27][28][29][30]

Ghana

Prostitution in Ghana is illegal and has a growing problem of sex tourism.[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] [40][41] Prostitution is a criminal act which attract criminal penalty as per the criminal books of the country. A high percentage of sex workers are vulnerable to HIV.[42]

Defining prostitution in the African context can be difficult, compared the situation in Europe, there being a continuum from marriage to prostitution. If prostitution is defined as "women who sell sex on a regular basis to a number of different clients and without any emotional or long-term basis to the relationships", then such women can be identified in urban Ghanaian settigs, but in between lies a spectrum of sexual relationships that may, for instance, involve longer term relationships, children and domestic settings.[43]

Guinea-Bissau

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Main article: Prostitution in Guinea-Bissau

Prostitution in Guinea-Bissau is a major serious problem with many of pimps also being drug dealers.[44] Because of the poor economic situation many women are tempted by such offers of vice and become addicted to cocaine.[45]

Liberia

Prostitution is illegal in Liberia[46] Like its neighbor, Sierra Leone, child prostitution has seen an increase in the aftermath of a civil war.[47]

Mali

Mali has problem with teenage prostitution and sex tourism.[48]

Niger

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Main article: Prostitution in Niger

Prostitution in Niger is illegal.[49]

Nigeria

Nigeria has become a major exporter of women for prostitution.[50][51][9][52][53] Ike Ekweremadu deputy president proposed a bill to legalise prostitution.[54]

Senegal

Prostitution in Senegal is legal and regulated. Prostitutes must be at least 21 years of age, register with the police, carry a valid sanitary card, and test negative for sexually transmitted infections.[55] NGOs working with prostitutes claim that the police abuses prostitutes.[55][56] Senegal is becoming a popular destination for Female sex tourism.[57]

Sierra Leone

Since the end of the ten-year civil war in Sierra Leone, there has been an increase in child prostitution, especially among children who are struggling to survive.[58] This is happening in spite of the fact that prostitution is illegal in the country.[56]

Togo

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Main article: Prostitution in Togo

Prostitution in Togo is illegal and punishable for up to 5 to 10 years.[59] In recent years Togo has become a magnet for western sex tourists who are interested in child prostitution.[60]

Middle Africa

Angola

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Main article: Prostitution in Angola

Prostitution in Angola is illegal and prevalent since the end of the civil war in 2001.[61] Human trafficking from China is major problem which the Angolan government working with Chinese Police.[62]

Cameroon

Prostitution in Cameroon is illegal but attracts sex tourism from the west especially for child prostitution.[63] The Cameroonian government has attempted to stop this trade by agreeing to multilateral agreements such as charters against sex tourism, like signing up with the Universal Federation of Travels Agents Associations (UFTAA).[64]

Central African Republic

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Main article: Prostitution in the Central African Republic

Prostitution is illegal but is run by foreign pimps.[65][66]

Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Main article: Prostitution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Prostitution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is illegal but the government do little to enforce the law.[67] Many Congolese prostitutes are from abroad or homeless children who have been accused of witchcraft.[68][69]

Eastern Africa

Burundi

Prostitution in Burundi is illegal.[70]

Djibouti

Prostitution in Djibouti is illegal.[71]

Eritrea

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Main article: Prostitution in Eritrea

Prostitution in Eritrea is illegal,[72] but, according to the 2009 Human Rights Reports it is a serious problem, and security forces occasionally follow women engaged in prostitution and arrest those who had spent the night with a foreigner.[72]

Ethiopia

Prostitution in Ethiopia is legal, but procuring (operating brothels, benefiting from prostitution, etc.) is illegal according to Article 634 of the Ethiopian Penal Code, as revised May 2005.[73] Many feel it has contributed to the increased incidence of AIDS.[74] Ethiopia has become a magnet for sex tourism.[75]

Kenya

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Main article: Prostitution in Kenya

Prostitution in Kenya is illegal.

Madagascar

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Main article: Prostitution in Madagascar

Prostitution in Madagascar is illegal and people caught paying for sex can face a sentence of up to 10 years.[76][77][78]

Malawi

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Main article: Prostitution in Malawi

Prostitution in Malawi is illegal but is widespread and laws prohibiting are rarely enforced.[79] [80][81][82]

Mozambique

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Main article: Prostitution in Mozambique

Prostitution in Mozambique first became a major issue for the country in the mid-1990s when UN peacekeepers were accused of soliciting child prostitutes.[83][84]

Rwanda

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Main article: Prostitution in Rwanda

Prostitution is illegal in Rwanda.[85] However, due to the immense poverty in the country, many women have been forced into prostitution to make money.[85]

Seychelles

Prostitution in Seychelles is illegal but remains prevalent. Police generally do not apprehend prostitutes unless their actions involved other crimes.[86]

Somalia

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Main article: Prostitution in Somalia

Prostitution in Somalia is illegal.[87] Although forced marriages exist in areas under insurgent control,[88] there is generally little voluntary prostitution and pre-marital sex in the country according to the African Medical Research and Education Foundation (AMREF).[89]

South Sudan

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Main article: Prostitution in South Sudan

South Sudan has a problem of imported prostitution from nearby African countries.[90][91][92][93][94][95][96]

Tanzania

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Main article: Prostitution in Tanzania

Prostitution in Tanzania is illegal under Tanzanian law, but it is still widespread.[97]

Uganda

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Main article: Prostitution in Uganda

Prostitution in Uganda is illegal in Uganda, but prostitutes operate freely in Kampala city centre.[98][99]

Zambia

Prostitution in Zambia is illegal but Zambia has a huge problem relating to child prostitution. There is a mistaken belief having intercourse with a virgin will cure AIDS.[100]

Zimbabwe

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Main article: Prostitution in Zimbabwe

Prostitution in Zimbabwe is illegal but since the increase of famine in the country prostitution has thrived.

Southern Africa

Botswana

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Main article: Prostitution in Botswana

Prostitution is illegal in Botswana, but is nevertheless common. Legalization is currently being discussed as a means of lowering HIV infection rates, which are among the highest in the world. Both the head of the National AIDS Council, Festus Mogae, and the main opposition leader are in favor of the initiative, while the Catholic Church is opposed.[101]

Namibia

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Main article: Prostitution in Namibia

Prostitution in Namibia is illegal but a common practice.

South Africa

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Main article: Prostitution in South Africa

Prostitution in South Africa has been illegal since the 1957 Sexual Offences Act (SOA), and the purchase of sex was added as an offence in a 2007 amendment. However, it remains common.

Swaziland

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Main article: Prostitution in Swaziland

Prostitution in Swaziland is illegal, and police continue to enforce the law,[102] although they sometimes turn a blind eye to prostitution in clubs.[103]

See also

References

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  5. ↑ "A Diwan of contemporary life" Al Ahram, 7–13 June 2001
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