Background
Theoretical framework
Methods
Study design
Study setting
Sampling
Data collection procedure
Data analysis
Ethical considerations
Results
Background characteristics of respondents
Variable | N | Percentage (%) |
---|---|---|
Age in years | ||
< 18 | 5 | 5.0 |
18–24 | 82 | 82.0 |
25–31 | 10 | 10.0 |
> 31 | 3 | 3.0 |
Religion | ||
Christian | 78 | 78.0 |
Muslim | 17 | 17.0 |
Other | 5 | 5.0 |
Sex | ||
Males | 4 | 4.0 |
Females | 96 | 96.0 |
Marital status | ||
Married | 13 | 13.0 |
Unmarried | 80 | 80.0 |
Other | 7 | 7.0 |
Nationality | ||
Ghanaian | 19 | 19.0 |
Nigerian | 63 | 63.0 |
Liberian | 15 | 15.0 |
Other Nationals | 3 | 3.0 |
Primary care taker of respondents | ||
Parents | 58 | 58.0 |
Siblings | 11 | 11.0 |
Partner | 8 | 8.0 |
Self | 17 | 17.0 |
Other | 6 | 6.0 |
Student residential status | ||
On campus university hostel | 62 | 12.0 |
On campus rented private hostel | 23 | 62.0 |
Off campus rented apartments | 3 | 23.0 |
Other | 12 | 3.0 |
Program of study | ||
Humanities | 65 | 65.0 |
Social Sciences | 15 | 15.0 |
Health Sciences | 4 | 4.0 |
Pure Sciences | 10 | 10.0 |
Other | 6 | 6.0 |
Level of study | ||
Certificate | 12 | 12.0 |
Diploma | 6 | 6.0 |
Undergraduate | 79 | 79.0 |
Postgraduate | 3 | 3.0 |
The emergence of commercial sex work on public universities campuses
Mode of operations (modus operandi)
Another respondent indicated that:There are various joints, drinking bars and movie houses around this university that you can find student sex workers, particularly at night. I can take you there if you want to see for yourself (Taxi driver).
Another respondent also revealed that:We have contacts with some students who call us any time when they have a client to pick them for business. Sometimes we pick them to a hotel, guest house or the house of the customer and wait for them till they finish and we bring them back (Taxi driver).
Commercial sex workers are not allowed at this place but we have some students who come around to leave their contacts and pictures with us just in case a guest wants a woman to hang out with they can be contacted (Hotel receptionist).
Respondents’ view about commercial sex workers
Another respondent indicated that:If you are not married and having sex with men for any reason then technically you qualify as a commercial sex worker (Female, undergraduate student).
Any woman who sleeps with more than one man for money is a commercial sex worker (Female undergraduate student).
Determinants of the cost of commercial sex workers' services on university campuses
Type of service | Description | Place of service | Duration of service | Cost in GH₵ |
---|---|---|---|---|
Short time | Sexual intercourse usually charged per ejaculation | Sex worker’s room | 30minutes (1 round) | GH₵ 20–50 |
Sleep | An overnight sleep with sexual intercourse usually charged per 3 ejaculations | Sex worker’s room | Overnight (3 rounds) | Negotiable with a minimum of GH₵ 100–200 |
Away | Agencies and/or escort services such as taking Sex workers way from their environments on romantic dates and usually characterized with unlimited sexual intercourse | Any place outside the Sex worker’s room (e.g. Patron’s house, hotel rooms etc | 2 days + | Negotiable with a minimum of GH₵ 500 per day |
No | Sexual position/style | Description | Relevance | Cost GH₵ |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ‘Missionary’ | Lie on your back while he lies face down on top of you | This sex position is simple, relaxing, and less stressful to the woman | 20 |
2 | ‘Face-off’ | Your partner sits on a chair or the edge of the bed; you face him, seated on his lap | During this sex position, you’re in control of the angle and depth of the entry and thrust. Being seated adds support, so it’s great for marathon sex sessions | Negotiable |
3 | ‘Doggy Style’ | Get on all fours, then have your partner kneel behind you, with his upper body straight up or slightly draped over you (like a humping dog) | This sex position allows for deep penetration and easier G-spot stimulation | Negotiable |
4 | ‘G-Whiz’ | Lie back with your legs resting on each of your partner's shoulders | This sex position is awesome because when you raise your legs, it narrows the vagina and helps target the G-spot | Negotiable |
5 | ‘Wheel barrow’ | Get on your hands and feet and have him pick you up by the pelvis. Then grip his waist with your thighs | Aside from being a fabulous arm workout for you, this male-dominant sex position allows him deeper penetration | Negotiable |
6 | ‘Leap Frog’ | This is a modified doggy-style. Get on your hands and knees, then, keeping hips raised, rest your head and arms on the bed | This sex position creates deeper penetration and gives you a chance to rest on a pillow | Negotiable |
7 | ‘Stand and Deliver’ | With both of you standing, you bend over at the waist; he enters you from behind | Bending over during this sex position helps make the vaginal walls tighter and increases the intensity of the friction | Negotiable |
8 | ‘Magic Mountain’ | Your partner sits, legs bent, leaning back on his hands and forearms. You do the same and then inch toward him until you make contact | You will both feel really connected looking at each other. Increase your stimulation by grinding your clitoris against his pelvis | Negotiable |
9 | ‘Cowgirl’ | You kneel on top, pushing off your partner's chest and sliding up and down his thighs. You can relieve some of your weight from his pelvis by leaning back and supporting yourself on his thighs | By being the dominant in this sex position, you’ll delay his climax and intensify yours | Negotiable |
10 | ‘Cowboy’ | You lie on your back while your partner straddles you and then gently inserts his penis through the tight opening created by your semi-closed legs | Tightness increases the intensity of the penetration | Negotiable |
11 | ‘Ballet Dancer’ | Standing on one foot, face your partner and wrap your other leg around his waist while he helps support you | This sex position allows for quality face time and connecting | Negotiable |
12 | ‘Scoop me up’ | Both of you lie on your sides, facing the same direction. You bring your knees up slightly while your partner slides up behind your pelvis and enters you from behind | This sex position allows for more skin-to-skin contact, increasing your stimulation | Negotiable |
13 | ‘The Chairman’ | Your partner sits on the edge of the bed and you sit on him, facing away | This sex position will hit the G-spot. Meanwhile, you can use your hands to stimulate his scrotum or perineum | Negotiable |
14 | ‘Spork’ | While you lie on your back, raise your right leg so he can position himself between your legs at a 90-degree angle and enter you. Your legs will form the tines of a spork. You can do this with him facing you or facing your back | From the spork position, you can lift your top leg and support it by resting it on your partner's shoulder. From here, you can easily stimulate your clitoris using your fingers while he is inside you | Negotiable |
15 | ‘Table Top’ | You don’t have to do this one on a table. Any surface that hits your partner at crotch height will do. Have him enter you while you’re sitting or lying at the edge of a table, counter, or maybe even your bed | This position is great for face-to-face action. Plus, if you two are drastically different heights, this is a great option, since it puts you both at the same height | Negotiable |
16 | ‘Champagne Room’ | Your partner sits and you sit on top of him, facing away | It helps you regulate the pace and intensity of the thrusts | Negotiable |
17 | ‘The Lazy Man’ | Place pillows behind your partner's back and have him sit on the bed with legs outstretched. Now straddle his waist, feet on the bed. Bend your knees to lower yourself onto him, using one hand to direct his penis in. Just by pressing on the balls of your feet and releasing, you can raise and lower yourself onto his shaft as slowly or as quickly as you please | This position puts you in control, and maintains plenty of intimacy. Think of his penis as a masturbatory tool, something to rub and stimulate your clitoris with and against | Negotiable |
18 | ‘Snow Angel’ | Lie on your back and have your partner straddle you facing away. Lift your legs and wrap them around his back to elevate your pelvis so he can enter you. Grab his butt to help him slide up and back. Add a little massage action to your grip | You get a prime view of his cute butt. Plus, from this position, you have easy access to fondle his testicles. Not to mention, his pelvis is perfectly positioned to grind against your clit | Negotiable |
19 | ‘The Snake’ | Lie down on your stomach, and have your partner lie down on top of you and slide in from behind | This position allows for super-deep penetration, and a snug fit which can feel great for you and your partner | Negotiable |
20 | ‘Blowjob’ | The blowjob involves using the hands and mouth, fingers, skilled tongue and even breast: caress his penis gently, be sufficiently rude, and the result will not be long in coming | The man is entirely under your control and you may do with him everything you want | Negotiable |
The reasoning behind the prizing of commercial sex services
Another respondent indicated that:We usually charge high prices because we are university students with a high class (Female, undergraduate student)
Another respondent explained:Some sexual positions/styles are very aggressive and painful so we charge more to compensate for endurance and buy medications in case of injuries (Female, undergraduate student).
The pricing strategies by male student commercial sex workers vary from those of their female counterparts. A respondent indicated that:The missionary position of sexual intercourse is the cheapest because you just have to lie on your back while the man lies face down on top of you and do the work as you relax and even be sleeping if you want to (Female, postgraduate student).
Another male respondent explained:For us men, we don’t have customers regularly so our pricing is dependent on the type of customer we get and the situation in which we find ourselves at the time (Male, undergraduate student).
Another respondent was of the view that:We charge foreigners more than the locals. Sometimes we charge about US$100 per ejaculation without condoms and US$50 with condoms (Male, undergraduate student) (US$ 1 would be equivalent to GHS 5.8)
As to whether one is able to offer all the styles enumerated in Table 3 when required, a respondent indicated that: “––why not! Since I’m a master of my business, I always devise strategies to cope. I also learn new styles everyday on the internet, eat well, dress well to keep myself sexy and attractive to men” (Female, diploma student).My main target is male foreigners although sometimes I also service some sugar mommies on call. Some of the males are homosexual colleague students and university workers who come to my room for sex. In the case of the sugar mommies, they call me on phone and we arrange a place where outside campus we meet, fuck, get my cash, and leave (Male, undergraduate student).
Apart from penetrative sex, oral stimulation of the penis, exposure of my vagina to a client and foreplays usually stimulate sexual pleasure and in most cases, some men ejaculate without penetration and have to pay for the service since ejaculation has occurred (Female, undergraduate student).
Initiation into commercial sex work
……..I don’t really know how it started––––- but all I can say for now is, one thing led to the other and now I’m into this business to meet my financial needs whilst in school (Male, undergraduate).I’ve been doing this thing since my secondary school days even before coming to this university. I used to work in a night club where I was thought how to manage male customers for my boss….. Later, I left that nightclub and started doing my own thing because my boss was cheating me…….. ((Female, undergraduate).It’s a long story……My first enter with this work was when I lost my parents two years ago at level 200 and was compelled to take care of myself and two little siblings whilst in school……With no source of help, two younger siblings to fend for and myself, life was so difficult that I easily gave in when my friends introduced me to the business that I found financially sustaining for now (Female, undergraduate).
Reasons for commercial sex work
Another respondent indicated that:I’m from a very rich home and my friends are surprised to know that I’m in this commercial sex business with them. I don’t need money from the men I sleep with, but good sex, which makes me relax, emotionally stable and puts me in a good mood to study for my exams. I not usually satisfied by one man but multiple sexual partners (Female, undergraduate).
I sometimes beg and pay guys to have sex with me in my hostel. In situations when this becomes a challenge, I step onto the street with the intention not to make money but to satisfy myself by having sex with multiple men in brothels. I’m gainfully employed on study leave but not interested in any man for a long/marital relationship (Female, postgraduate student).
Regular customers of student sex workers, meeting places, and form of remuneration
Regular customers | Regular meeting place for sex | Form of remuneration |
---|---|---|
1. University workers (teaching and non-teach staff) | Hotels, guest houses, student hostels, customer’s residences and brothels | Money, sex for pleasure material and academic favors |
2. University Students | Hotels, guest houses, student hostels and brothels | Money, academic support, sex for pleasure |
3. Others (customers outside the university environment) | Hotels, guest houses, student hostels, customer’s residences brothels and movie houses | Money and material gains |
Challenges encountered by the student sex workers whilst in the sex business
Another respondent indicated that:Sometimes we are beaten up by men in their houses when they pay us and we refuse to do what they expect from us so now we seek protection from pimps (Female, undergraduate student).
There are situations when we become pregnant or get some sexually transmitted diseases. This is why we charge higher if a customer wants raw sex or in the event that a condom gets bursts in action so that we can quickly buy medications to prevent pregnancy and any sexually transmitted diseases (Female, postgraduate student).……..It’s sometimes difficult to avoid unprotected sex in this business no matter how hard we try. There are situations where some customers will start fucking you with a condom on mutual agreement, but will later remove the condom and forcefully fuck you especially when the man is on top of you.…..Other customers are able to negotiate and give additional money or even double the price to enable us accept unprotected sex……… Others also become so aggressive if we refuse them unprotected sex, hence they physically and sexually abuse us…….… (Female undergraduate student.
Potential threats | Occurrence | Actions taken |
---|---|---|
Violence | Usually occurs when a client’s demand is high but refuses to pay accordingly | We always have macho men standing by as pimps who escort us secretly to such places to protect us when need be |
Usually occurs when a client refuses to pay after sex | ||
Usually occurs when a client takes you home and other men comes to take their turns but refuses to pay after sex | ||
Unwanted Pregnancy | When condoms burst | Using regular contraceptives particularly 3 months injections to prevent pregnancy and also avoid menstruation to keep in business Uses emergency contraception after unprotected sex Have an abortion if pregnancy is established accidentally |
When a client has sex without using condoms | ||
Sexually transmitted infections | When a client has sex without using condoms | I select my clients wisely Only healthy looking customers are allowed to have sex with me without condoms We check their genitals to ensure there are no sores, discharge or skin rashes before sex |
Another respondent was of the view that:Sometimes ‘business’ becomes so good that I forget about lectures and follow my customers on appointments. When this happens, I’m not able to partake in class assignments and even miss examinations (Male, undergraduate student).
Another respondent was of the view that:Although I pay people to write lecture notes and do assignments for me when I’m absent, it’s always difficult to understand the notes so I always don’t perform well in my final exams although I’ve not been referred in any paper (Female, diploma student).
Some of the female students have devised various strategies including offering sexual favors to some lecturers in exchange for marks to pass examinations. One of such students indicated that:My customers sometimes disturbs me so much that I end up losing concentration in school hence not able to attend classes regularly as expected (Female, undergraduate student).
On the contrary, some respondents indicated that they are able to combine sex work and academic work effectively since they claimed to have been among the top-performing students in their class practicing commercial sex work from the undergraduate level till now at the postgraduate level.I have a way of seducing my lecturers and teaching assistants to give them good sex in exchange for good marks. The challenge however is, it’s not all of them that are morally week to succumb to my seducing no matter how hard I try. I, therefore, pay critical attention to the course being taught by such lectures and teaching assistants in order not to fail (Female, undergraduate student).