Industry of Prostitution in Tanzania, Sex Tourism, HIV/AIDS, Human Trafficking, and More
Tanzania’s Prostitution Industry
Is prostitution legal in Tanzania? Even though it’s illegal, prostitution thrives in Tanzania. UNAIDS estimates that 155,450 women in the country engage in prostitution. Many women and girls are forced into prostitution because of economic hardship, limited employment opportunities, social norms, and family disintegration. Many college students have no choice but to turn to prostitution for money.
There is a severe problem with sex trafficking and child prostitution in Tanzania.
In Tanzania, especially in coastal resorts and Zanzibar, sex tourism, including female and child sex tourism, is common.
Sex Tourism
Bagamoyo, Arusha, Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia are among the most well-known spots in Tanzania for sex tourists. Many of the visitors are from Italy.
Zanzibar also attracts a lot of women that are interested in sex tourism. There are a lot of foreign “beach lads” in Zanzibar. It is possible to book a trip to the island with a “guide,” including through several tour operators.
Women from either Europe or North America make up the vast majority.
The problem of child sex tourism is most acute in coastal areas and near the Kenyan border. Due to financial hardship, many young people fall victim to human trafficking or become prostitutes.
HIV
An Overview of Tanzania’s HIV/AIDS Crisis now has a fully developed, nationwide HIV epidemic. In 2011, HIV/AIDS affected around 1.6 million people in Tanzania. One in twenty Dar es Salaam residents and one in three sex service providers are HIV positive. Among the general population, 4.7% are HIV, while 28.0% of sex workers are infected.
An alarming rise in new HIV/AIDS diagnoses has been reported in Zanzibar. Tourists visiting Zanzibar are blamed for exacerbating the problem by driving up the demand for prostitution.
Sex Trafficking
The issue of human trafficking in Tanzania; Women, Men, and children are victims of sex trafficking in Tanzania since it is both a source and a destination country for these victims. Friends, family members, and mediators who promise victims help with urban employment or education are often complicit in internal trafficking, which is far more common than transnational trafficking. Those kids living in rural poverty are most likely to be trafficked. Tourist hotspots and the border with Kenya are for sex trafficking, and girls are at risk. According to media reports, many Chinese women are victims of sex trafficking too. People from Tanzania have fallen prey to sex trafficking on the continent and beyond, in places as diverse as Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and Asia. Children from Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya, as well as adults from Nepal, India, and Yemen, are among those who have fallen victim to sex trafficking. Tanzania is a transit point for sex trafficking from neighboring countries to Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East.
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons by the U.S. Department of State has ranked Tanzania as a Tier 2 country.
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