Prostituting pride – a mother’s plight

How far would you go to ensure your children had something to eat? Would you sell your body?

Prostitution is illegal, but it would seem there are certain women who felt they had no other choice.

A prostitute operating on Paterson Street explained she did it for her child.

“I am a single mother, my child’s father is gone and I have no parents. If I could get a job where I cleaned houses or did washing, I would take it,” said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous.

According to the 23-year-old, she has been a prostitute since 2011 and and emphasised her job has been far from easy.

“It isn’t a nice work. Men hurt us sometimes and too many threaten us. It is dangerous,” she admitted.

Despite the hazards she faced, along with other prostitutes, the young woman said the she followed ‘the oldest profession’ to put food on her table and allowed her to care for her child.

“On a quiet day during the week, I make R250. But on a busy day, I can make anything from R700 upwards,” she said.

Another Paterson Street prostitute alleged she took to the streets a month ago when her husband abandoned her and their two children.

“It is very difficult to talk about this type of work and why I do it, but I must look after my children,” she said.

Describing some of the men as decent, the 26-year-old woman admitted there were men that could get violent.

“If I could get another job, anything else other than this, I would take it,” she concluded.

Facing uncertainty, abuse, and ridicule on a daily basis, these women are the desperate ones….