IZWI Media Trust: Zimbabwean girls forced into prostitution in Botswana

Most Zimbabwean girls who leave Zimbabwe to Botswana to seek employment end up in the streets doing prostitution. Yesterday i managed to meet almost close to 18 in Gaborone's block 8 suburb. These girls most of them are under 20years and left Zimbabwe under the illusion that it is easy to find employment in Botswana. The general conception in Zimbabwe is that there are lot of opportunities in Botswana and jobs like doing laundry, cultivating fields, selling and other domectic erands are easily available. Upon arrival they find that the things are not the way they though they could be but fail to go back home because of fear of embarasement and they engage themselves in risky behaviour like having unprotected sex leaving most of them single mothers and at the risk of the deadly HIV virus.
" We are afraid because people laugh at us accusing us of being failures. We also get money from people at home for coming here so we have to pay back and we have parents to support", claimed the 22 year old Mutare born Tavonga Mashiri who have been a commercial sex worker for three years now. " it not by choice", she continued shedding tears," i don't think anyone in her right senses can choose prostitution just for the fun of it, people should not just judge what they don't know. we are also human a feel bad, what will i tell my son when he grows up? that his dad was my customer? please i wish the world should change its perspective and consider us as human too."
Most of them refused to talk to me claiming that i will spread lies when i get to Zimbabwe. here are similar situations also in small night clubs in Mogaditsane, Sebina, Maitengwe and Tonota. Most of them expressed hope that there will be change of government next year and they will return home claiming that the current political dispensation is not creating employment and its not easy to live in Zimbabwe. Sometime in my expedition i met a classmate who threatened to beat me up and hid from the camera. My documentary is coming soon - Botswana in Zimbabwean eyes.