A 28-year-old man from Tanzania’s capital city, Dodoma, will spend six months in jail after he was on Wednesday, September 11, found guilty of engaging in sexual intercourse with a commercial sex worker.
Five commercial sex workers, who were also found guilty of engaging in the illegal trade, were also sentenced to between three and six months in jail. The Dodoma court further directed that the women get three strokes of the cane.
Dodoma regional police commander, Gilles Muroto, told Mtanzania newspaper that the male suspect, Paschal George, was on September 8 caught having sex with a prostitute at Uhindini area in Viwandani, Dodoma.
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The sex worker that George had hired was also jailed for six months.
“George has been found guilty of the offence, and will serve six months in jail,” Muroto told the newspaper, adding: “Five commercial sex workers were also found guilty of engaging in the illegal trade.”
Section 176 (a), (f) and (g) of Tanzania’s Penal Code outlaws commercial sex work.
“Any of the following persons – (a) A common prostitute behaving in a disorderly or indecent manner in a public place or loitering or soliciting in a public place for the purposes of prostitution; (f) a person who without lawful excuse publicly does any indecent act; (g) a person who in any public place solicits for immoral purposes; shall be deemed to be an idle and disorderly person and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five hundred shillings (Ksh23) or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months or to both the fine and imprisonment,” says the Penal Code.
Paschal George was found guilty of two offences (f and g), hence his 6-month imprisonment.
“One of the five women who pleaded guilty to the charge of engaging in prostitution was sentenced to three months in jail,” said Dodoma police boss Muroto.
“The other four women denied the charges. Evidence that was produced against them by the prosecution proved that they had engaged in the said-crimes, and were sentenced to six months in jail without the option of fine. The judge further ordered that they get three strokes of the cane. One of the four women was the prostitute who was found having sexual intercourse with the male suspect, Paschal George,” added Muroto.
