Sun, Safaris and Sex Tourism in Kenya

Kenyan Prostitution Perverse to Locals

The problem, say most Kenyans, is that these "arrangements" start to perverse the entire society. Naruk is a tall, slim, stunning young woman -- and says she is constantly harassed by Western tourists and businessmen.

"I feel so insulted," she said. "It's gotten to the point that when I go out, I stress over how I can dress so that I will look different."

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She has just stopped going to certain establishments. But she's been harassed at her job as well. One Westerner in town for business, who she says was nearly 50 years old, got her number from her supervisor and began continuously calling, trying to lure her to his room.

"It really became an issue," she said. "Most tourists and businessmen that come here have a lot of money, and when they come here they think 'I can be whatever I want to be,' and that's how they behave."

Prostitution Turns Child Exploitation

Sex for payment is so common in Nairobi, on the coast of Kenya, particularly in the vacation towns of Mombasa and Malindi, that the thirst for prostitution has led to the widespread exploitation of children. Kenya is now considered one of the worldwide hubs for child sex tourism.

In 2006, UNICEF released a report on child trafficking in Kenya revealing that up to 30 percent of teenage girls ages as young as 12 living on the coast were involved in casual sex for cash.

And it's the Western tourists who are driving the trade, according to the report. Men from Europe make up more than half of the clients.

"Tourists that exploit children are at the center of a ring of corruption that involves many from the local community," the report states. "It is vital that the adult perpetrators and not the victims themselves are prosecuted for these crimes."

In Mombasa, young Kenyan men, known as "beach boys," are known to couple up with older white women, often Western tourists who have flown down specifically for sexual encounters. Just like their female counterparts, these young men are supplied with money and some prestige of being the "boyfriend" of a rich Western tourist.