They may be specialised in remaining thinly clad at night in the club or by the road ,but they were armed to the teeth sitting in the studio for Joy Fm's Super Morning Show that Friday.

Armed with an unusual 'equipment' - clothes.

Gifty, gifted with a beautiful typically dark African body, full lips, big eyes with her ear pierced in three places  and an elaborate plaited hair - Samson style.

Sandra,22 years, is fair. half Ghanaian, half Nigerian. But full prostitute. A mark on her forehead signaled a history of abuse. She was very well covered even too well covered. Make that over-covered. Her hair was scarved like it was church time Sunday morning and she wore a red hoodie that effectively sealed her off from any appreciation of God's free gift. She held two phones. One was an android.

The determination as it seemed to be fully clad, mirrored  their personal realities that prostitution was not a fancied business or glamourous. It was a difficult job, but an easy trap and definitely a thankless enterprise.

Yes - they were prostitutes, they stated without a syllable of pride or shame. But a delicate bravery to be just plain honest was evident in Gifty's voice. They needed nobody's pity, disdained anybody's judgment and still held a deep belief that God's mercy was a daily common denominator they shared with the whole world.

"They don't know the reason why I come for street", Sandra said. Gifty added " there are many reasons why anybody can enter this situation".

And proceeded to tell their stories.

Prostitutes - creatures of neglect

Sandra in search of her mother, travelled from Nigeria and stayed a friend in Accra, Her companion advised her to stop depending on her for handouts and start using her natural hand-outs hidden in secret, solemn places.

Her first customer satisfied himself and refused to pay her - leaving her in tears.

Gifty lost her dad very early. Her mother re-married when she was three years old. Her stepfather shredded her school uniform after she postponed the washing of his socks to go to school in the morning.

She was in Class Six then. But a stand-in father's fury drove her out of home into the wild wild world of abandonment and lack.

She stayed with her auntie along with poverty and penury until while with a man, he promised to give her money if she slept with her. Hesitation - Hesitation - Hesitation - Decision.

Her first pay was today's Gh¢50. After her first night of prostitution, there has been no turning back.

Her money supports her mother who is now divorced from the stepdad who forced her to step out of the safety of home. She pays the school fees of two younger brothers now in JHS and Primary Five. Gifty has opened a small provision store to support her family, she goes to Church - sometimes.

Her mother is saddened, sobered by her daughter's agonising trade and adamant in taking her money.

"If you are in this life. It is not like you like it. It is a situation".

She works in the clubs and charges Ghc 300 for a full night and 150 for less. Her services are on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays - not that you are going to look for her, dear reader.

The host Kojo Yankson attempted to calculate her earnings but was stopped in his tracks by the revelation that it sometimes it could take two months to get a customer.

"Really?", the host' shock self-evident.

Many customers have refused to pay and many add free slaps after the free sex. The police cannot be their refuge in such situations because of their profession's awkward standing with the law. In fact with increased night patrols, the police have become their latest source of harassment.

She has tasted three days in jail after a customer accused her of stealing his phone and money. She was released after he declared her innocent.

"It is only God who is protecting us, having mercy on us"

 

Sandra on the other hand, charges between Gh¢ 60 to Gh¢80 "for a short time or Gh¢150 for a full night".

And she used the word 'fuck' like it was the only English word without a synonym. It forced the host, Kojo, to request that listeners pardon the "robust" language.

 

What would it take to stop?

"What money would it take for you to stop prostitution?" Kojo asked and it drew the first ripples of laughter from Gifty.

After some hesitation, "Gh¢50,000 is okay", she quoted. Sandra could stop with a Gh¢1,000 to start a business. She is tired of washing for prostitutes in Togo just to make a living.

Since 8-years old she has been on her own. And although she managed to finally get in touch with her mother, the woman needed a lot of reminding to remember that she had a daughter with Ibu Choko from Nigeria.

Despite the reunion, the two do not stay together. They are still miles apart.

Sandra is simply nuclear material for her mother's new matrimonial home.

 

Gifty has never felt love for any man, never had a boyfriend and along with Sandra, they do not even enjoy the sex except perhaps if they imagine the money.

The two ladies came with a slender fair man. He professed to help the ladies get customers. Like people need an agent to get a house in Accra, the prostitutes need an agent to get a customer in the city.

And there is a connection fee as there is viewing fees in real estates.

"Am a help to them. Sometimes the girls, they don't have the link. I play [an] important role", he announced with the conviction of a man trying to convince himself than anybody else.

The phone lines were opened.  Men dominated the phone-ins. Some offered God, another offered to ask the public to offer help to the girls.

"In the eyes of God, these prostitutes are no different from anybody who has had sex outside marriage", a caller said.

'Set up more skills training centers' another suggested - a text book solution we all wrote to pass a Social studies paper in school.

A lady, Lois in Legon said " am glad they have come out. Am glad you asked them about church. I don't judge anybody. But it doesn't matter what they have been through. They can trust God and get to know Him personally and He clean them up and [they  can] do things they can actually be proud off".

There was some bond between the female caller and the prostitutes that only ladies can really feel or understand. A sense that they are my sisters.

The guys may despite their good intentions, sound like they are part of their perpetrators. A sense that those who abuse us are your brothers too.

But though views were divergent for the two prostitutes, there was collective condemnation for the self-professed agent.

"You are part of the problem" the men pointed out in no uncertain words.

In all the phone-ins, light broke, a good Samaritan, Godwin Martey a young CEO offered to help get the ladies off the streets and out of beds for good.

With his help, the ladies could discover that maybe, just maybe beauty and a 'body' was not God's biggest gift to Gifty.

That money doesn't have to be tapped down there. But that, up there in the brain, a greater resource has been left untapped, desperate for the adventure of  a potential yet to be unleashed.