Arthur Greene
Solar powered lights on the coast of Lake Victoria in Kenya are helping women avoid being forced into prostitution in exchange for fish.
Over 400 women in western Kenya have been provided with solar-powered lights to help them attract fish.
This means they can avoid “sex-for-fish” deals which are common in the region’s fishing industry.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that for the past two years, Mary Achieng’ has been able to take her boat out onto the lake one evening a week. There, she lowers her solar-powered light into the water, which attracts a haul of fish into her nets.
The 500kg haul is worth 50,000 Kenyan shillings (R6,800), enough to feed her entire family for a week. However, life wasn’t always this way.
Before she was given the lamp two years ago, she would have to stock her market stall with fish bought from local fisherman, many of whom would demand sex in return. Mary, whose name was changed for her protection, would have no choice but to accept.
“The fishermen dictated who to sell the fish to. If you did not please them, you would have nothing to sell for the day,” she told the Reuters Foundation.
However, for the past two years, a project launched under the Africa for SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) initiative has provided local women with solar-powered lights, empowering them to fish independently.
“Now I know the joys of being empowered as a woman and the economic freedom that comes with it,” Mary said.
Mary told Reuters that she can also use the light to illuminate her stall, keeping it open for longer than she was previously able. She also said that her children have used it as a light to help them study.
The reduction in “sex-for-fish” trade has also reduced HIV rates in the area, and the lights have reduced the need for kerosene lamps, which are a harmful pollutant.
Picture source: @Flickr
