Blog FAQ Login. Kizito Ngabirombo Updated: 15 Sep, More than 40 sex workers have been arrested in Nebbi town in an operation conducted by the police and town council law enforcement officers. Chief law enforcement officer Joel Owinja says most of those arrested in the swoop over the weekend were juveniles below 15 years old operating out of brothels.
He says several of them were students from Arua and Nebbi districts. Owinja says those above 18 years were identified and released with a caution. He says the juveniles were caned with the permission of their parents and released with severe warnings not to repeat their alleged crimes. According to Owinja an increasing number of teenagers are being lured into the commercial sex industry, by the promise of quick wealth.
He says regular operations will be conducted in order to rid Nebbi town of prostitution. Several people in Nebbi applauded the operation, but questioned why none of the men known to procure prostitutes was arrested. The law enforcement officers claimed none of the prostitution clients could be found.
The Penal Code Act of Uganda not only criminalizes prostitution, but also prescribes harsh punishments for those purchasing sex. According to the law, anyone who procures or attempts to procure any girl or woman for prostitution is guilty of an offence and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.
A similar punishment is provided for sex workers. Attempts have been made by some civil society organizations in Uganda to decriminalize or legalize prostitution. They argue that prostitution is an age-old practice that cannot be outlawed by an Act of Parliament and want sex workers registered and regulated in order to protect them against unfair criminal procedures, sexually transmitted diseases and sexual predators.
