Students in Swaziland /
Eswatini are selling themselves for sex to raise cash for food because the government
has not paid their allowances.
A trade in young women has
developed with businessmen ‘pimping’ students to affluent tourists from
neighbouring South Africa, the Sunday edition of the Swazi
Observer reported (5 November 2018).
According to the newspaper
the students are taken from the Kwaluseni campus of the University of Eswatini
(formerly UNISWA), ‘for purposes of pimping them to affluent tourists flooding
a popular hangout spot in Matsapha’.
The Observer reported, ‘These businessmen take advantage of the
girls’ financial situation on campus and select “top of the grade” individuals
for purposes of promoting their business into hosting upmarket guests. They
also take advantage of the girl’s academic statuses to market them to guests
who arrive solely for purposes of whetting their sexual appetites.’
The newspaper reported, ‘delayed
payments of allowances which themselves are meagre force girl students into
availing themselves for sexual favours in exchange for food, drinks and other
goodies’.
It said the businessmen target the youngest first-year students.
It said the businessmen target the youngest first-year students.
It quoted one student
saying, ‘They become virtual call girls.’ The student added the men spend fortunes
on them and then demand sex.
There is an ongoing dispute
between students and the government over the payment of scholarships and allowances
that cover fees, living expenses and items such as books. In
May 2017, the Swaziland National Union of
Students (SNUS) launched a campaign for scholarships for
all. They want the Swazi Government to reverse a decision taken eight years ago
to prioritise courses and cut scholarships by 60 percent. Students want all
students admitted to higher learning institutions to have scholarships,
regardless of the programme they are doing or the institution they are in.
Meanwhile, the outgoing
President of SNUS Brian Sangweni told its 11th National General Congress that thousands of
high school graduates with good grades remained idle at home because the
government would not pay them scholarships to study.
He said, ‘Those who are
lucky to make it and enrol into the institutions are also not off the hook of
suffering due to lack of living allowances to enable them to live a healthy and
dignified period of study and to realise their optimal potential.’
He added students were
finding it hard to concentrate to their studies and some dropped out or
committed suicide because of the pressure.
See also
In
full public view, on hand and knees student begs Swaziland King for scholarship
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