FEATURE: Employed by My Body

3 mins read
‘Employed by My Body” - Inside Accra’s growing hook-up business

It is 2200 hours on Friday. Approximately 100 girls actively pitch for clients on a Telegram platform, hoping to catch the eye of men willing to pay for their company for the night.

This marks an emerging form of prostitution known as ‘hook-up,' departing from the old practice of sex workers operating in sequestered places.

The Telegram platform, exclusively dedicated to sex trading activities, has amassed more than 21,000 members.

Advertisements on the platform openly promote various services, with some users going to the extent of showing their nakedness and faces to attract clients. Some advertisers also sell sexual enhancement products and aphrodisiacs.

The 's investigative team identified over 10 separate groups on Telegram where young women prospect for clients for paid sex, showing a willingness to risk anything for the money.

A member of the news team booked Grace (not her real name) and met her at a Guest House at Lapaz, a suburb of , where she hosts her clients.

Despite expressing discomfort with the business, Grace explained burning a substance before receiving clients for spiritual protection.

A Bible, assorted lubricants, condoms, and tissue lay on a table beside her bed.

In a conversation, Grace outlined her rules and pricing, emphasizing restrictions and additional charges for specific services.

She admitted joining the hook-up business due to difficulties finding a job matching her needs and expressed a desire to raise money to travel abroad for better opportunities.

Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programmes Manager at the National AIDS/STI Control Programme, highlighted the high-risk nature of commercial sex work, emphasizing its contribution to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including /AIDS.

The rise in commercial sex work is linked to dwindling employment opportunities in Ghana, particularly among the youth.

The 's 2021 Population and Housing Census reported that over 1.55 million people, or 13.4% of the economically active population, are unemployed.

Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Start-ups, warned against considering the ‘hook-up' trade as a business and urged the government to implement policies supporting young people intending to start their own businesses.

The investigations suggest that the main drivers of the hook-up business in are unemployment, uncontrolled immigration, and the absence of robust national online policies to check illicit online activities.

The increasing engagement in such activities raises concerns about the spread of sexually transmitted infections, cyber security, child safety, and the country's cultural, religious, and social values.

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