Public sex is the 'now thing' that has caught on with some people in Sekondi-Takoradi and the trade is said to be attracting girls and women aged between 13 and 40 years. Surprisingly, most of their transactions take place under haulage trucks and sometimes in the full glare of passers-by. Investigations by The Mirror revealed that teenage girls, prostitutes as well as some truck drivers and their mates engaged in sex under their haulage trucks, which were parked on the streets of Fijai and the other suburbs of the Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Area. In spite of the flagrant defilement, some of the truck drivers were said to have been going to the extent of employing the services of these young girls to travel with them to the hinterland to load their cocoa. Surprisingly, their job on board these tracks is to satisfy the sexual needs of the one who contracted them until they returned to their base in the metropolis after many days. The drivers are also said to be travelling with girls from Tema to Takoradi, just to satisfy their sexual needs and be with them until they return to Tema. The "biggest market days", according to some truck drivers, are Saturdays and Sundays. One of the residents of Fijai, where some trucks are often packed, Mr J. O. Desbordes, told The Mirror that what the truck drivers were doing was immoral and unacceptable in any society that is committed to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic, promoting girl-child education, as well as empowering women. "Those who come here to have sex with these old men and their mates are children who should be kept at home behind their books to save them from the deadly HIV/AIDS pandemic, if they have responsible parents," he said. “Some of us living at Fijai, close to where these trucks are parked wanted to take action, but the issue is who are we going to talk to? It is very sad, my brother, seeing these little girls dressed in clothes that expose their bodies rushing to these tents under the trucks to offer themselves for sex and a few cedis”, Mr. Desbordes said. At the harbour area in Takoradi, some artisans who said they sleep in the area, described the situation as very bad and added that these innocent children were left to take these dangerous decisions for themselves. One of them who pleaded anonymity said, "I stay here and after work, I just retire to my house, and by 9 pm you will see taxis stopping here but you cannot see anybody; they get down and quickly move under the trucks." One of the drivers who spoke to The Mirror on the road but failed to give his name, said, "The girls come themselves and they look young but if you think they are naive they will surprise you.” When contacted, the Western Regional Focal Person for HIV/AIDS, Mrs Olivia Opoku Adorna, said the issue had to do with the drivers and the girls who had refused to change their attitude. "The refusal of the parties to change their attitudes posed a great danger to the fight against AIDS of which figures released indicates that the region is doing very badly and urgent steps need to be taken," she said. When this reporter went to the Harbour View, one of the good old places in the metropolis which has now become a red light district in Takoradi, he was approached by a young lady of about 16 who engaged him in a conversation and asked if he was a driver and wanted to spend some time with her. After this reporter told her he was an investigator and would like to know more about their work, she demanded GH¢2 and said some of the drivers did not want to pay for the short time at the hotel but preferred using the prefabricated beds under their vehicles. Another driver, Mr K. Badu, said sometimes they wondered if the children were from homes or when they were leaving home their parents did not see them. He said this is because some of the drivers even travelled with them to the collection points for their goods for days and weeks before coming back to the city. Alhaji Abdul, also a driver, said the problem was a very serious one adding "I am surprised and amazed at what I am seeing here.” When contacted, the Metropolitan Director of Social Welfare, Mrs. D. Kwabea, said her unit and other organizations had done extensive work by educating these young ladies and the truck drivers. “But still the story is the same; no change, no hope, but we are still working at it.” She said at a point, they picked a baby aged about six weeks which had been abandoned by a teenage mother who claimed she had also been abandoned by the baby’s father, a driver, who had gone for another girl. Source: The Mirror