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Prostitution in Somalia
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Prostitution in Somalia
Prostitution in Somalia is officially illegal. There is generally very little voluntary prostitution in the country according to the African Medical Research and Education Foundation (AMREF). UNAIDS estimated there were 10,957 sex workers in Somalia in 2016.
Prostitution in Somalia was first documented by Italian explorer Robecchi Bricchetti as a female slave activity. A woman’s income from prostitution was difficult for a master to control, especially if it was not declared. While masters could collect tributes from enslaved people’s earnings, secret income from sexual services could not easily be taxed or monitored. Secret prostitution could provide a way for enslaved women to earn income without paying tributes to their owners, although masters often still expected to extract some share of the earnings. Italian colonial records recount the case of a concubine who had accumulated modest wealth through prostitution, including cattle and jewelry.
Prostitution reportedly became widespread in urban centers after the abolition of slavery by the Italian colonial government. According to Italian records, by the 1910s most emancipated women engaged in prostitution:
"The slave, Swahili, Boran, Galla, Arussi, means by freedom only the right to do nothing. Except for the few who join the freedmen's villages on the Shabelle or Juba Rivers and take up farming on their own, most, if men, turn to idleness and vagrancy; if women, to prostitution. Mogadishu, Merca, and Brava are overflowing with prostitutes, and, with a few exceptions, they are all freed slaves."
Prostitution laws in Somalia are contained in the Penal Code of 1960, which was based on the Italian Penal Code of 1930. The relevant articles are:
The laws are currently under review.
However, according to Amnesty International, respect for legal rights in much of Somalia has remained inconsistent. The legal system is largely locally organised and based on a combination of customary and Islamic law. A widely cited case reported in Somaliland occurred on 8 January 1993 in Hargeisa, where five women accused of prostitution were executed by stoning after being buried up to their necks.
HIV/AIDS prevalence rates are quite low in the country, estimated at 0.1% of adults. This has been attributed to Somalia's dominant Muslim tradition and adherence to Islamic morals, which generally discourage premarital and extramarital sexual activity. Sex workers are a high risk group and their estimated HIV prevalence rate was 5.2% in 2014. Condom use amongst sex workers is low.
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Prostitution in Somalia
Prostitution in Somalia is officially illegal. There is generally very little voluntary prostitution in the country according to the African Medical Research and Education Foundation (AMREF). UNAIDS estimated there were 10,957 sex workers in Somalia in 2016.
Prostitution in Somalia was first documented by Italian explorer Robecchi Bricchetti as a female slave activity. A woman’s income from prostitution was difficult for a master to control, especially if it was not declared. While masters could collect tributes from enslaved people’s earnings, secret income from sexual services could not easily be taxed or monitored. Secret prostitution could provide a way for enslaved women to earn income without paying tributes to their owners, although masters often still expected to extract some share of the earnings. Italian colonial records recount the case of a concubine who had accumulated modest wealth through prostitution, including cattle and jewelry.
Prostitution reportedly became widespread in urban centers after the abolition of slavery by the Italian colonial government. According to Italian records, by the 1910s most emancipated women engaged in prostitution:
"The slave, Swahili, Boran, Galla, Arussi, means by freedom only the right to do nothing. Except for the few who join the freedmen's villages on the Shabelle or Juba Rivers and take up farming on their own, most, if men, turn to idleness and vagrancy; if women, to prostitution. Mogadishu, Merca, and Brava are overflowing with prostitutes, and, with a few exceptions, they are all freed slaves."
Prostitution laws in Somalia are contained in the Penal Code of 1960, which was based on the Italian Penal Code of 1930. The relevant articles are:
The laws are currently under review.
However, according to Amnesty International, respect for legal rights in much of Somalia has remained inconsistent. The legal system is largely locally organised and based on a combination of customary and Islamic law. A widely cited case reported in Somaliland occurred on 8 January 1993 in Hargeisa, where five women accused of prostitution were executed by stoning after being buried up to their necks.
HIV/AIDS prevalence rates are quite low in the country, estimated at 0.1% of adults. This has been attributed to Somalia's dominant Muslim tradition and adherence to Islamic morals, which generally discourage premarital and extramarital sexual activity. Sex workers are a high risk group and their estimated HIV prevalence rate was 5.2% in 2014. Condom use amongst sex workers is low.