Women face hardships everyday, including being forced by circumstances or people to sell their bodies to make ends meet.
That is the story of Jacqueline, an 18 year old girl from Uganda.
Due to a lack of support from her parents and financial troubles, Jacqueline entered the sex slave trade at the age of 16, just to be able to put herself through school.
Her work in the sex industry began after she shared the tough financial situation she was in with her neighbour.
The neighbour then helped her get a job as a bar attendant. From working in the bar she joined the trade to make ends meet to support her sick aunt and her sick aunt’s kids.
Jacqueline had to sleep with three to four men a day, in a bid to make a reasonable amount of money.
She made between 30,000 to 40,000 Uganda shillings ($9 to $12 or N2880 to N3840) from that.
Her life continued that way until a saviour, in the form of a social worker, came to her rescue.
The woman told her about the Partnership for Empowerment of Vulnerable Girls and Women project (PEVUS), an initiative that works with young women to educate them on their rights and sexual health and helps them learn new skills. Though Jacqueline was sceptical at first, she decided to check them out, because she had nothing to lose. She accepted their support in April 2015 and was trained for free.
Two years later and with a toddler that resulted from her stint as a sex worker, Jacqueline is now an electrician.
She plans to acquire a diploma and degree in Electronics and be an inspiration to young girls so that they can aspire to be and do anything they want to.
She’s also grateful that she has the means to provide for and take care of her one-year-old child.
