Few Ethiopian Girls Trapped in Sex Trade As Covid-19 Deepens Desperation

Coronavirus pandemic made a hike in child sexual exploitation in northwest Ethiopia as families struggle to cope up with. There is a case of a girl named Selam who fled her village at the age of 11. She avoided being wed to a much older man in northern Ethiopia. She was relieved and excited to live life on her own terms. But that hope was short-lived. She has spent the past three years in the sex trade in the northern city of Gondar. 

There are hundreds of girls who are stuck and have become victims of sexual exploitation and fear numbers are rising due to the coronavirus pandemic. She was dropped out of school and unable to afford to return home, the girl said she had no way out of the prostitution business, which is permitted in Ethiopia. “The job is nasty but what would I be eating if I stopped?” the 14-year-old – whose name has been changed to protect her identity. 

Data source: All Africa news