For the sanity of us neighbours – just legalise it

I’m not talking good or bad, right or wrong or whether you should or you shouldn’t. It’s illegal – In this country it IS illegal!!!

People say it’s the oldest profession in society but that doesn’t make it right. But hey, people do it and they will not stop doing it!! - Paying for SEX

There were 3 girls at work in the house next door. I never saw them often. They came out to put the washing on the line in the morning and sometimes would get in or out of a car for a function outside of these 4 walls. I laughed at the one visitor as the girl would have to come out to meet him at the door of his car and then walk into the house in front of him. Sometimes he would come baring gifts – a box of donuts perhaps.

In the last 2 weeks before they finally moved out there were 4 raids on the establishment. Some policemen spoke to the ADT guards in our road and apparently some dagga, some pills and a person with expired papers were found. Duck tape was also found which usually points to packets taped up and placed in a garden. If they are tending a garden it is only for show and the place were illegal substances are kept! All these aspects were denied during the course of the next week. The pills were Chinese medicine apparently – maybe to help that lift that was needed coming from their loins!! One policeman admitted he didn’t want to arrest the Taiwanese pimp because he was such a sweet man and couldn’t possibly be doing anything wrong!!!

All raids followed the same procedures. Loud banging on the door, a few grumpy shouts – I thought for my attention just to say ‘we are here’ – a walk round the garden where the vegetable patch was overlooked and what then looked like a search which I could only see happening in the kitchen. The rest of the house windows covered in thick red drapes was impossible to see. This then followed a fair long time of talking and laughter and then finally the police would leave with no one in hand cuffs. The neighbours finally left just over a week ago. I thanked the police profusely as I have finally got my life back and can sleep at night without being woken by cars and talking all day and all hours of the night! I did however express concern that not having been arrested they would just move the operation somewhere else and some other poor unsuspecting neighbour has just started their nightmare living!!

“Well as long as it’s not in our jurisdiction, we are happy and it becomes someone else’s problem”. Yes you heard right and that’s the policemen’s answer to the situation!!

These policemen are playing cat and mouse getting these establishments out of their areas into other areas and of course the same problems start again. What a waste of police money, time and energy raiding brothels for show with no arrests but to appease the public that someone IS doing something to protect us! No wonder there is little room for descent salaries after all that!!
Oh I almost forgot! They are shown appreciation for there brave raid actions by also being allowed to lurk down those very same passageways where the public were too!!

I have lists of number plates and pictures of number plates all handed to the police, the brigadier and my lawyers. No one really cares about these illegal acts and no one does anything about those visiting!

I would break up with my man if I found out he was visiting a prostitute and I knew about it. I would prefer my man to have an affair! For me the lesser of 2 choices I would not want to make but if I had to…I know that an affair means he might give up some part of his heart and soul but living next door to a brothel gave me a totally different perspective!!

No matter how far I think I’ve come since my Catholic school upbringing and no matter how broadminded I think I have become I obviously just don’t get it!!!

These men were fat, skinny, dirty sweaty, clean, rich, poor, bald, greasy haired, Christian, Jewish, Hindi, Moslem and probably some atheists thrown in too!! They arrive in the latest 4 by 4 models, BMW’s and the real old ‘skadonks’ that you can hear a mile down the road and you just know that noise is going to get louder and louder until it stops with a rattle and a shudder in the driveway next door. They arrive 1 to 4 men in a car 3 to 4 cars parked outside at some given moments (remember only 3 girls inside) and they go inside to poke it into the same limited space one after the other maybe even together – who the hell knows.

Some men stay for 15 minutes and would be called premature ejaculators – but in the brothel who cares!! Some men stay for close on an hour and you can just imagine all that grunting and snorting and sweating and then the next man walks in!! What’s a little bit of shared sweat between strangers huh!!!

At this point the clean or unclean methods respected in different cultures and religions are thrown out the window. No one seems to care whether those before eat beef or pork or mixed meat and milk in the same saucer, whether they are alcoholics or smokers! The desire for illicit sex is obviously so strong that they don’t care about what ever it is they are anti in the real world and are just happy to go lurking in passageways that hold proteins of all food types and behaviours - There’s definitely no time for cleaning in between each act !! They don’t care!! They paid for it and their wives and religious leaders just don’t know!!! The Catholics would leave and say a Hail Mary or 10, I would think - but the others I’m not so sure what their religion would require!!

It’s quite funny actually but it’s the only time when all people of different religions, races, creed, cultures and colour all meet in the same place and are happy to share!! The real rainbow nation!!

If I was a prostitute – I’d make them pay big, I mean real big! As much as I find the above conduct unbecoming of any man I think we should all fight for it to be legal. That way the police would not waste time and energy on farce raids. They could move into a red light district and leave us neighbourhoods alone where we the women and children hang out!! The brothels can be taxed for all the cash they get paid and help pay toward this economy. The prostitutes could get regular AIDS tests and like America if they have AIDS they are out!! I don’t care much for the men getting Aids but I do care about those poor unsuspecting wives they go home to and those children that would be left behind!!

For the sanity of us neighbours – just legalise it!!!

This could be your daughter or son!!!

Some of you might have read my earlier report about a ‘Brothel in the neighbourhood’. Today my story takes you into the sordid world of human trafficking!! You might not know but human trafficking is rife in South Africa and it is defined as…

the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

I will talk mainly from the sexual exploitation angle and please note that this includes boys and girls, men and women!!!!

Our neighbourhood watch on our situation has uncovered that these girls (Thai, Taiwanese or Chinese) forgive my ignorance in not knowing their actual nationality – do not leave this house and as cars visit all day and all hours of night these girls have to be available!!

Prostitution is illegal in this country but we all know it IS the oldest profession in the book!! Although we would love to know that it does not happen… Who are we kidding!!

If that woman or man you are visiting is free to decide when to work or not and they are free to choose to have a night off or not then it is probably not human trafficking but a choice to be a prostitute!!

However if you are visiting a house or environment (lap dancing club) where the girls or boys never leave or are driven home to a owners house and back to work the next day then you are part of and condoning some form of human trafficking with out even realising it.

The other day a whole lot of matrics went to a certain lap dancing club in Durban. Hey its young boys and they are only having fun after their trial exams….but…. we need to ask ourselves the question? Are these girls they were fraternising with, free to catch a cab home at night or are they driven to the owners house were they sleep and then bought back to the club the next day!! Does someone control their movements!! As a parent would you be happy knowing that your sons ‘innocent’ night out was actually in the greater scheme of things part of a human trafficking organisation.

Most these girls and boys are drugged and given alcohol to numb their feelings. If they cause trouble they are discarded or moved to other jobs in the chain of happenings and it’s almost impossible to get any evidence. The people who frequent these places don’t talk. The girls are shipped back to their countries so they can’t give evidence and the owners are linked to the best lawyers in town who will find any loophole to get their clients off the hook.

I phoned the eThekwini municipality the other day to see what they would do about a normal prostitution situation. I told them I had some evidence from the visitors. (Our neighbourhood watch are very busy!!!) I was told you cannot use the evidence from any visitor in court, but we will go in and arrest the girls. Now isn’t that ridiculous!!! Prostitution is illegal but not for those visiting the institution. It is only for those performing the acts!!!!

The owners of these placers have got very sophisticated and you with partners out there would be shocked to know that the choice is made from a photo line up on the cell phone. Payment is often made somewhere down the road so no money changes hands on the actual premises. Drugs are involved but drive by exchanges happen so no evidense can be found. All a raid will actually uncover is the sexy red underwear, the drawn red curtains in the middle of the day or night and red sheets and blankets!!!

Some of you might have watched the movie ‘TAKEN’ or seen the many documentaries on the subject. It does not only happen only in other countries but right here in South Africa. It was not a World cup thing and now it’s all gone away….It is still happening and there are parents around the world who have no idea what their young sons and daughters are subjected to. One day this could happen to your children….

Please be aware, be vigilant and above all don’t be quiet!!!