In eastern Senegal, 700km southeast of Dakar, the prevalence rate of HIV has raised concerns among NGOs and health officials. Prostitution is widely practiced in this gold-bearing region. But in Diabougou village, gold is both a blessing and a curse.

By Bineta Diagne, Diabougou

Oumy (fictional name) is a slender, slightly made up young woman with a short hairstyle wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt. Five months ago, this 21-year-old Nigerian woman arrived in Diabougou, a village near the Malian border, where thousands of gold miners converged in their search for the precious metal.

Oumy spends her days sitting on a bench, outside the marketplace, waiting for prospective clients. According to this young prostitute, one “round” in this part of the country costs 1,000 CFA francs, compared to 15,000 or 20,000 in the capital, Dakar.

“Sometimes I use condoms and so do my friends”, she claims. Oumy insists that she uses condoms not only as a means of protection against sexually transmitted diseases, but also as a “matter of principle”. She pays 5,000 CFA francs for a room that she rents not far from the loud noises of the motorcycles and machines used by miners to crush the gold-bearing rocks.

Human trafficking
Oumy owes her condition to a “rather sympathetic” young man who she met in Nigeria and who promised her a job in Senegal. “I was told that there were job opportunities near the mines; where I could be a waitress or work in shop”, she says with a bitter voice. But her dreams were shattered on her arrival when a smuggler confiscated her papers and demanded money before handing them back. Many of the young women in Diabougou are in the same situation. Ghanaian, Gambian, Malian and other Nigerian girls in this gold-bearing area sell sexual favours to “get their share of the gold money”.

At night, there are among the prostitutes, under-aged girls lined up against the wall in front of a very popular bar. Flashlights in hand, they shout: “1,000 francs! 1,000 francs! 1,000 francs!”. They quickly attract many interested clients. In a nearby small restaurant, Mamy, a Senegalese woman, disapproves of this kind of activity: “During the holiday season, they shout ‘Sale! Sale!’ and offer their services for 500 CFA francs”, she teases.

Worries
In the Kédougou region, the prevalence rate of HIV is 1.7%, compared to a national rate of 0.7% (and 1.3% in gold-bearing areas). Kédougou is the second worst region to be affected HIV in southern Senegal, after the Kolda region, a sad record that raises concern among health authorities.

“The Kédougou region shares its border with Guinée, Gambia and Mali. There is a large movement of populations in the area, for economic reasons or because of conflicts. As a result, the youth are exposed and vulnerable, as they frequently come into contact with sexworkers. Clandestine prostitution and unprotected sex are also common in the region”, deplores Ismaëla Ndiaye, who is a social worker at the Kédougou health station, focusing in particular on HIV/ AIDS outreach.

Lack of education
Health professionals are struggling in their efforts to sensitise the population about the deadly disease. “In gold-bearing areas, prostitutes are often not professionals: they do not understand the concept of protection because they are illiterate”, explains Binetou Damfara, an official of Amnesty International, an NGO battling violence against women. “Despite the fact that condoms are being distributed among the prostitutes, they remain vulnerable. AIDS tends to spread rapidly in these areas”, she adds.

Culture and tradition are also obstacles in the fight against the HIV/AIDS in the region. “We are working on a media campaign to convince the population about the reality of AIDS”, explains Gaston Pierre Coly, who is in charge of the CNLS (National Committee for the Fight against AIDS) office in Kédougou. He adds: “In gold-bearing regions, there is a traditional belief according to which one who has sexual relations with a woman is more likely to find gold”.

Meanwhile, Oumy is selling her body each day on the streets, hoping to buy back her life. She was an Arts student back in Nigeria. “I still have to pay 230,000 CFA francs before I can get my papers back”, she sighs, before shouting to the next passerby: “1,000 francs! 1,000 francs!”