A press statement issued by the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council on March 31, 2020, saw the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) placing a ban on prostitution and its related activities in the region.
According to him, the ban on prostitution in the region will help break the chain and stop the further spread of the virus in the region.
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He made this statement on Happy98.9FM’s Happy Morning Show. “I am fully aware prostitution is illegal in this country. But speaking within the context of the region, the functional practice of prostitution is happening. Even in the capital Accra there are people standing at vantage points doing so. The ban on prostitution is meant to break the chain and stop the spread of COVID-19. 8 out of the 10 confirmed cases in the region are prostitutes. These young beautiful ladies can touch about 2 to 3 men a night and this can increase transmission exponentially. So the only way we can stop this is to ban prostitution and reinforce the standing law in the country.”
On his authority, the ban is necessary because prostitutes are not regarding the social distancing policy. He made known that he has the support of the chiefs and opinion leaders to enforce the policy and had deployed security personnel to arrest all who disregarded the ban. “Security personnel have been deployed to arrest any prostitute who is not regarding the ban. They have been told to respect their rights during arrests and everything should be done within the confines in the laws of Ghana,” he told host Samuel Eshun.
The Regional Minister disclosed that, just like any other part of the country, prostitution is a development challenge which needs to be addressed in the region. And that his worry stemmed from the fact that those engaged in prostitution in the region were from bordering nations.
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“Some people have decided to get the appetite for prostitutes. I am pleading with my men to redirect their taste. If you can’t get rice, eat waakye so you don’t get any problems. If you don’t have a wife, please abstain and slow down your appetite for prostitutes,” he advised.
The Northern Regional Capital, Tamale, has recorded 10 cases of coronavirus in Ghana.
The 10 cases were Guinean residents who travelled to Ghana through Burkina Faso and Togo and were picked following Intelligence report, according to health officials.
According to the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Guinean residents came into the country before the lockdown.
By: Joel Sanco