AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES, PREVALENCE AND EFFECT OF FEMALE PROSTITUTION IN NIGERIA TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, EKIADOLOR-BENIN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES, PREVALENCE AND EFFECT OF FEMALE PROSTITUTION IN NIGERIA TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, EKIADOLOR-BENIN

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Prostitution has become rampant in our society today among growing teens and youths. These young people see selling of their bodies as the fastest way of getting income for their keeps. In the past those engaged in prostitution use to be women selling their bodies. However, today men have joined the trade of selling their bodies for different reasons including drugs, jobs or contracts and also good grades in exams. This is because sex consumers include politicians, bosses in offices, lecturers who find pleasure in exploiting the lower class by offering mouth watering opportunities in exchange for sex. (Alufohai, 2007). She further stated that some of the causes of prostitution are high level of poverty due to unemployment rate in the society, bribery and corruption. Family expectations and other problems are factors why men and women get involved in prostitution. Women most especially are pressured into the business to be able to cater for family and siblings education.

Prostitution leads to the spread of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), HPV (human papiloma virus), herpes amongst others. Some women suffer trauma and pelvic pains, in most cases these women are subjected to drinking and smoking to ease off the pain and this habit could cause cancer which puts their lives in more jeopardy and increases mortality rate of the country. (Alufohai, 2007)

A university don, Prof. Elizabeth Balogun, on Wednesday (2007) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, expressed her concern over the prevalence of prostitution among female undergraduates in the country. Balogun said the sex trade had become rampant on Nigerian campuses to such an extent that 80 percent of prostitutes that patronise night clubs, hotels and tourist centres in Ogun State are students of tertiary institutions. Prof. Balogun, a Biochemistry lecturer at the University of Ilorin, said this at a seminar organized by the National Association of Nigerian Students to mark its 31^st anniversary where she delivered a lecture titled “Prostitution on our campuses: Effects and solutions.”

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES, PREVALENCE AND EFFECT OF FEMALE PROSTITUTION IN NIGERIA TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, EKIADOLOR-BENIN