Prostitution in Kenya is illegal. However, many foreign men and women indulge in sex tourism, which is thriving at resorts along Kenya's coast. Thousands of girls and boys are involved in full-time child prostitution [1] due to poverty in the region. According to UNICEF, "Many families see the sex industry as the only way of putting food on the table." The Kenyan government is trying to stamp out these sexual activities. [2] [3][4]
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The Swahili word for 'prostitute' is malaya. [5] When christian missionaries started to impose western moral values on African tribal structures in colonial Africa, they created instability, including the need for men to spend long periods away from home. In this context the malaya arose, providing 'home comforts' away from home, or for men unable to afford the brideprice. [6]
The ministry for tourism in Kenya has been severely criticised because of its lack of response to the booming sex tourism and child exploitation on the Kenyan coast,[7][8]
At night, European male tourists visit Mombasa's clubs to meet young Kenyans. The girls often wear high heels and pay a bribe to get into the clubs. The typical client, a Mzungu, or a white man, will generally pay 5 times more for sex than a Kenyan labourer can earn in a day. [9] In 2006, a study by UNICEF reported that approximately 30% of the population of children aged between 12 and 18 were engaged in some form of sex work. [10]
This booming trade in sex tourism[11] goes on[12] with the Kenyan Tourism Police's full knowledge. They do not want to discourage the hundreds of thousands of white tourists from coming to Kenya’s coast, regardless of the damage it does to young Kenyans. [10] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
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