With the development of tourism, Senegal confirms its status as a sex tourism destination, but also appears as a country of origin for victims of human trafficking exploited in prostitution in Europe.

From August to October 2014, Tyana Lenoble and Valentine de Bergeyck, two young volunteer nurses, spent two months working with a group of about fifteen young girls during a sexual exploitation prevention program in Dakar in partnership with AJE, a local association.

The project had two objectives:

• Raise awareness among the target audience about the reality of human trafficking and reduce their vulnerability to this phenomenon.
• Educate the target audience and their families about the importance of education and schooling, which are the best protection against the risks of human trafficking.

Through numerous testimonies and information gathering, they were able to identify the factors that lead to sexual exploitation. The most significant cause of this problem is the poverty in which these young girls live. They are often victims of a lack of guidance, very limited education, a lack of family support, and family breakdown (divorce, death, large families). This situation can lead to negative influences and pressure from family or friends to earn money. Finally, a very strong taboo surrounding prostitution complicates prevention initiatives.

Faced with these factors, three major risks emerge:

• Physical harm such as STIs, HIV/AIDS, client abuse, unwanted pregnancies, drug addiction, and sleep disorders.
• Psychological harm including loss of self-esteem, guilt, loss of confidence, depression, stress, demotivation, and difficulty maintaining relationships.
• Social harm such as isolation, lack of understanding from those around them, dropping out of school, instability in friendships, and ultimately, social exclusion.

Based on these findings, and with the active participation of the young women, Tyana and Valentine created an awareness brochure that was printed in thousands of copies. The young women in the target group received training to become ambassadors for the project and, in turn, raise awareness among their friends. Thanks to this, the young women have regained their self-confidence and are no longer ashamed.

Their testimony

Their names are Tyana and Valentine, and for several weeks they traveled across Africa as volunteers, raising awareness among vulnerable young girls about the risks associated with prostitution. What was their motivation, their background, and their role in this pilot project?

From Abidjan to Dakar

The story begins in 2013. Tyana and Valentine, community health students, decided, in collaboration with Samilia, to do their internship in Senegal, focusing on the exploitation of young African footballers. The three-month pilot project was a success, so much so that the Senegalese embassy asked Samilia to undertake a second mission. The embassy had denounced a serious problem of economic exploitation of young African girls and appealed to the Foundation for help.

During the summer of 2014, the two young women went to Dakar to join the local association AJE (Action Jeunesse et Environnement – ​​Youth and Environment Action), with which they would work. This project lasted two months. Valentine went in August to prepare the groundwork and build trust with the girls, followed in September by Tyana, who finalized the project by creating an awareness brochure.

Between modesty and confidence

Prostitution in Senegal is an extremely taboo subject, Tyana tells us. No one dares to talk about it, and the girls hide. Approaching these young women was therefore not easy, especially since French is not always their first language. The most difficult task was gaining their trust. They were afraid of judgment, of prejudice… adds Valentine. After several sessions of activities and games, they finally relaxed a little and opened up, but never directly. They often spoke of a “friend who is a prostitute.”

Unlike the situation in Belgium, girls there rarely engage in organized prostitution. However, family pressure, poverty, and lack of education are what drive many girls to sell their bodies independently, for example, to pay for their studies or simply to survive. Some mothers even send their daughters onto the streets and exploit them.. Other girls turn to prostitution by imitation, Tyana tells us, they see their neighbor buying things they cannot afford and decide to prostitute themselves. Others do it simply out of laziness, because they don’t want to look for work. But it’s all done very discreetly. Of course, there are also organized networks involved in pimping, but we haven’t had the opportunity to obtain more information on the subject.

Youth committed to fighting against sexual exploitation

Valentine and Tyana’s task was to find a group of so-called “vulnerable” girls in Dakar—that is, girls who are particularly at risk of prostitution, or who are involved but don’t disclose it, or worse, don’t even know it. With these girls, our two young volunteers will embark on a long campaign of prevention and awareness-raising. Because this is such a taboo subject, very little is currently being done to help them or to eradicate the problem. First, there is a general lack of awareness about the issue. Some girls don’t even know they are being abused. Second, it is essential to focus on children’s education, knowing that the parents themselves often lack education. Finally, alerting the authorities and raising their awareness so that they too can implement measures, informing the public through the media, raising awareness about AIDS, and distributing condoms are all things that would have a positive impact on the problem.

After two months on the ground, a brochure entitled “Youth Committed to Combating Sexual Exploitation” was created by the young Senegalese women. Tyana and Valentine had to leave, but the young women there were ready to raise awareness among their fellow citizens. The two young volunteers had succeeded in their mission: to create an awareness tool that would empower a group of young African women to become agents of change themselves, reaching a wider audience. With its new ambassadors, the project could continue.

Even though it took time to build trust, Valentine and Tyana were warmly welcomed. They both agree: undertaking such a project is an opportunity not everyone gets. Not only are they very happy to have been able to participate, but they would also return without hesitation if another opportunity arose.