A growing trend of teenage girls trading sex for fish has been observed in the coastal communities of Half Assini in the Jomoro District of the Western Region.
According to a report from JoyNews, the girls are exploited by fishermen for sex during periods of substantial harvests.
These teenage girls, who are responsible for their families’ upkeep, visit the beach during harvests to solicit fish for their homes. However, they have become the targets of sexual exploitation, being forced to pay for every fish they receive with sex.
Local residents have termed this practice ‘sex for fish’, which has led to an increase in teenage pregnancy and single motherhood in the area. Irene Obeng, Deputy Manager of the Jomoro Fishery Commission, confirmed that fishermen exploit young girls due to their age, taking advantage of the situation to engage in sexual relationships with them.
One fisherman, Maxwell, with over a decade of experience, explained that the competition for fish is fierce, leading some individuals, particularly young girls, to offer sex in exchange for fish. Even married women are being sexually exploited when they seek fish from the fishermen.
A 17-year-old single parent, Adwoa, revealed that she met the father of her child through these transactions, during which she exchanged sex for fish. She explained that after discovering the extent to which he was using ‘sex for fish’ to lure in other girls, they parted ways.
The situation has had a significant impact on education, with a teacher in the area reporting that several girls have dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy resulting from transactional sex.
The prevalence of ‘sex for fish’ in the community is a cause for concern, and it requires a multi-faceted approach to address the exploitation of vulnerable teenage girls in the coastal areas of Jomoro District.
