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Jacinta Wanjiku: "They think they can touch me anywhere they want"
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October 2008 (PlusNews)
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NAIROBI, Jacinta Wanjiku, 40, has been a waitress for 15 years, but lost her most recent job two weeks ago; she told IRIN/PlusNews that she was probably sacked because she is getting older and the management wanted to replace her with a fresher face to attract male customers.
"It's a job; it pays the bills and feeds the kids and the tips help, but on the whole, it comes with many problems.
"The salary is poor - at my last job I was paid only 4,000 shillings [US $50] per month, and usually I took home much less than that because of taking days off ... even if you or a child was sick they would dock your pay.
"The hours are terrible; you can work from eight at night till five in the morning or until the last customer leaves, and it makes no difference to the salary.
"When the customers are drunk they think they can touch me anywhere they want; my breasts, my bum, anywhere. The managers let them do it because they are spending lots of money.
"Sometimes the customers buy you drinks, but you have to be careful, because occasionally they are trying to get you drunk and then have sex with you ... if you refuse they can rape you. Even if the sex is not rape, if they are drunk and you are drunk, who is going to remember to wear a condom?
"Some customers become friendly with you and you can start a consensual sexual relationship with them, but after a while they want to stop using condoms, and yet don't know his HIV status and don't know where else he has been. It's a tricky situation - that's why chances of getting HIV are high if you work in a bar.
"As I got older the sexual demands from male customers reduced, and they started going for the young girls. I try to warn the girls to wear condoms and not to accept drinks from these men, but sometimes they just think you are being jealous.
"I am raising four daughters on my own; the oldest is 20 and working in a hair salon. I am fighting for them, so they never have to work in a bar like I have. As a woman, it is a job that has no respect in society."
kr/oa
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[ENDS]
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[The above testimony is provided by IRIN, a humanitarian
news service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.]
IRIN welcomes editorial and photographic submissions for inclusion on this page,
reserving the right to select and edit as appropriate.
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