Mariatu was 15 years old when her widowed mother died and she ended up sleeping rough on the streets of Freetown where she fell into commercial sex work. She spoke to the Guardian before the online launch of a documentary to mark the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, which highlights the harassment and violence faced by the marginalised group.
The film features interviews with commercial sex workers โ including girls as young as 12 โ and examines their treatment by Sierra Leone police officers who are accused of exploiting them for sex and money. Between five and 15 sex workers are arrested every month in Freetown, and many are forced to pay bribes to avoid jail, according to Advoc Aid , which provides free legal representation and support to vulnerable women. Its not just their liberty that is at risk. Sinneh Kamara, a coroner forensic technician working in Freetown, says every month he buries more than 10 sex workers aged between 13 and She now hopes to train as a seamstress but would take any job over working on the streets.
A lack of education and training makes it hard to break out of the cycle and find other employment. She was jailed for second time at 17 in a case of mistaken identity, after another sex worker was accused of stealing money from a client.
She spent two weeks in custody before being appearing in court and having her case discharged with the help of AdvocAid. On countless occasions she has been picked up by police and asked for sex in return for her release. I would rather spend the night in the cell than have sex with them.
What you will eat in the morning? They leave you hungry. One of our concerns is if the [the police] are so keen on targeting sex workers why do they not also go after the men that are part of the trade. I was eight months pregnant and my son was born in jail.
