I felt sad and even a bit sick when I read of the punishment proposed for prostitutes in Nyamata. “...Made to walk naked and be whipped on bare buttocks?” This sounds a lot like torture, for which there is no room in a civilized society. Not to mention that it sounds more like revenge or sadistic pleasure for the punishers than a fair sentence for a crime committed. Here are some ideas you may wish to consider when dealing with prostitutes: 1. Treat these women with kindness and dignity and perhaps they will respond in kind. Consider providing job training so they can get legitimate jobs. Most are probably not prostitutes by choice, but because they have no other skills and have families to feed. 2. The best solution would be to publish the names of the men who use the prostitutes’ services in the newspaper. This should provide enough embarrassment for these men that they would no longer seek a prostitute’s services. Remember, that prostitution would not exist without those who pay for the service. Cincinnati, Ohio USA
