SUBJECT: English Language

CLASS: SS2A
GROUP MEMBERS:
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Prostitution in Nigeria: Causes and

Solutions

What is prostitution? Prostitution, according to the

dictionary, can be defined as the act of engaging in sexual
intercourse or performing other sex acts in exchange for
money, or of offering another person for such purposes.
Basically, it entails selling ones body in exchange for money.
A person who engages in such acts is called a prostitute.
Prostitution is usually carried out by women, and sometimes
children. One could wonder what could lead somebody to
commit such heinous acts as this, and also what is
encouraging the spread in Nigeria. I will now proceed to
outline the causes.
The first and principal cause is poverty. Some women see
prostitution as the easy and sometimes only road to provide
for themselves. This is why geographical research has shown
that prostitution is more prevalent in poverty-stricken areas
than others because it is seen as a profession in such places.
So poverty is deduced to be one of the most serious causes
of prostitution. Another cause is negligence of parents.
Parents, inn their quest to gain money, many times leave
their children and do not train them up the way they should
be trained and warn them of the dangers of prostitution. Also,
they do not give the child the love she needs at home. This
compels the children to look for love which in this case is lust
from another source, that is, from men who just want to use
them. Another cause is peer pressure. People are told by
friends how much money they are making from the business,
and encourage them to participate.
Now let us take a look at the recursions of such acts. First, it
takes a heavy toll on the society. Lives which could have
made useful achievements and inventions are lost to
prostitution. This deprives not only the present society, but

future generations too. It is also known that this practice

leads to the spread of STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)
such as HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea and many others. This can lead
to the death of the person involved and other unsuspecting
people like spouses. For example, a man hiring the services
of a prostitute can catch an STD, and pass it to his
unsuspecting wife and kids at home. Generally, it can lead to
large wasting of money. The drugs for treating an STD like
HIV are very expensive. Also, the money that men spend on
prostitutes could be used for their childrens school fees and
other fruitful causes. It also encourages chaos in the home,
society and generally the world.
So how do we end this terrible evil? How do we stem the
tide? First and most importantly, the government should take
action. How? This can be done by enacting laws that do not
favor prostitution. Prostitutes should be educated on more
moral ways of making money. The government should also
create more job opportunities and lower the cost of living so
as to make life easier for people living in penury. Also in
schools, students should be educated on the dangers of
prostitution and other similar acts. This will reduce the rate of
spread of prostitution extensively. At home, children should
be given the love they need so they do not attempt to try and
get it from any other source.