embedded in the floating world
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nmazca.blog embedded in the floating world |
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 "Today's warfare... especially the exploitation, abuse and use of children, is nothing short of a process of self-destruction," according to Olara Otunnu. "This isn't a small matter. This goes to the very heart of whether or not... there is the promise of a future for these societies." Also: There are several hundred young girls aged between nine and 15 who can openly be bought for sex in the downtown area of Lome, Togo, called Devissime. The name means 'child market' in the local Mina language. Many of these girls have been separated from their families. Others have simply been abandoned. Most are illiterate. Being alone in the world all of them are highly vulnerable to exploitation by pimps and brothel keepers such as 'Mama.' "I never knew my parents," explained Adjo, "I was abandoned and I've always had to manage on my own." Sometimes the girls sell themselves for as little as 200 CFA (40 cents). Only the better looking ones such as Adjo, can persuade their Togolese male clients to pay as much as 1500 CFA (US$3). Adjo said her own punters were a mixed bunch. She said they varied from high school pupils and apprentice mechanics to wealthy members of Togo's ruling elite, who had children of their own back at home. These older men tend to be infatuated with the youngest girls, she added. There are no reliable statistics about the sexual abuse of children in Togo, but there is a general perception among social workers and child protection volunteers that the phenomenon has increased alarmingly in recent years. Child soldiering |
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