PROSTITUTES INVADE SEKONDI-TAKORADI (PAGE 11, JAN 23, 2010)

Commercial sex workers from other regions and neighbouring countries have thronged the Western Regional Capital of Sekondi/Takoradi, and intensifed their activities.
Some bar and hotel operators have to forcibly drive some of the prostitutes out of their business premises to stop them from harassing and embarrassing their clients, who include expatriates and other visitors to the metropolis.
While some get the attention of the expatriates whom they charge between GH¢150 for a “short-time” and GH¢200 for the full night, others actually have permanent places in various hotels and bars where the customers themselves move to solicit their services.
Some hotel managers accused some expatriate guests of bringing in the sex workers to their rooms late in the night and then reporting of stolen items such as phones, money and other valuables in the morning when the prostitutes had left.
On a visit to various bars in the metropolis, one would find some of the prostitutes walking around and asking male guests at these places if they want company for the night.
They themselves have acquired rooms in various low-standard hotels at a rate of GH¢15 a night, where they operate from.
The Western Regional Police Command told the Daily Graphic that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service had received complaints and also gathered some useful information from its intelligence sources.
According the Regional Crime Officer, Mr Victor Agbetornyo, it was expected that the oil find would bring both genuine and unscrupulous people into the city. He warned that openly soliciting sex was a crime in the country.
Some of the hotels and drinking bar operators the Daily Graphic spoke to said the prostitutes openly come and sit among the customers and try to catch their attention to the displeasure of some of their customers.
At one of the bars, the operator asked this reporter to stay and witness the operations of the sex workers.
A man who claimed to be a ‘victim’ of the activities of sex workers said he and his colleagues went to a hotel at the beach to relax after a hectic day and were approached by two young ladies who engaged them in a conversation.
He said after they finished drinking, they moved into their vehicle to drive to another location in Sekondi and their ‘guests’ decided to follow them.
He said their managed to extort GH¢100 from them after “they had accused us of wasting their time”.
Another person said he actually went for a prostitute who said she had a place they could use for a short time.
He said he was taken to a dilapidated hotel near a military installation in Takoradi, where, to his surprise, there were five other ladies in a queue for the two rooms where they were supposed to use.
“I told her that I cannot join that queue and she told me to pay her GH¢50 for no work done.
“I refused to pay and she picked a stone and she warned me that if I dared moving the vehicle, she would smash my windscreen and so I had to pay GH¢50 for no work done,” he said with much regret.
The police has, however, assured the public that they would work hard to clamp down the activities of the sex workers, and also advised the public to be wary of their operations.