As condom prices increase in Zimbabwe, prostitutes are reportedly using bread packets.
Prostitutes in Zimbabwe now using bread packets as condom prices rises; also accepting vegetables, tomato, maize or beans as payment
AwesomeProf
According to reports, some sex workers in Zimbabwe are increasingly using bread packets as contraception due to the rising cost of condoms and other basic necessities.
When condoms are scarce, they have resorted to using bread wrappers as a substitute, according to a 21-year-old Mutare call girl who began sex work at the age of 16.
In an interview with Manica Post, a medical practitioner, Dr Tendai Zuze, confirmed the claim.
Bread packets are not robust enough to survive friction during sex, according to him, and can easily break, exposing the user to sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy.
Another local news outlet, iHarare, also reported that some sex workers are now accepting buckets of maize and cups of beans as payment from clients.
One sex worker who simply identified herself as Alice said,
“Gone are the days when we used to charge US$5 for the whole night. These days even one dollar is accepted, so that you are able to buy vegetables and tomatoes and cook something for your starving children.”
She said she has three children – one in Form 4, another in Grade 7 and the last in Grade 1 – and needs money to cater for them.
“I now even accept a bucket of maize or cups of dried beans as payment for sex services. At least I am assured that my kids will have porridge,” she added.
Sex workers at Dema have now appealed to the government and other organizations for low-interest loans to start businesses to provide for their families.
