JOB HUNT: A SEX TRAP FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS

Securing a job for young women and girls can be very challenging in a society that is embedded and entrenched in male dominance and where male chauvinism reigns at its height. The welfare of women and girls is determined by the 'goodwill' of men and thus they are placed at their mercy. Poverty and unemployment is heated amongst women and girls most and their desperation to earn a living pushes most of them to indulge in transactional sex and to mortgage their bodies for job security. The job world is dominated by men and they are the only route to gaining employment in a context where surviving is like living in harmattan and they are left with no options to survive. Women's bodies become a collateral for employment and constitute high grounds and risks for contracting HIV/AIDS and other related sexually transmissible diseases and infections including unwanted pregnancies. Growing up in a community where job scarcity abounds, as young women we often are tempted and feel we have to go the extra mile to get and secure a job to make ends meet. Getting a job is not a bed of roses. The acceptable and legitimate way to gainful employment whether merited or not exposes almost every woman to the 'Sex Trap'. After graduating from the teacher's training college, I was privileged to find a part time job as a home teacher with a family to teach their grandchild whose parents were residing abroad. I started the job and everything was going well and the parents were very happy their grandchild was picking up well. All these while, the grandmother would always go out to work while the grandfather who was on retirement was always home. The sexual harrassements started on a faithful morning while I was teaching the child, I felt a hand on my back I was startled and almost jump. He said, its me, come don't be afraid. I looked at him with scorn and bitterness and retorted, I don't like being touched like that and he only smiled. This act repeated itself a couple of times and I resisted him. At one point he pulled me to himself trying to hug me and I seized myself from him. I was so frightened and frustrated and had to abandon the job without informing the wife who hired me. She tried to find out why I wasn't coming and I didn't say anything to her. I was afraid if I had to disclose the reason it might bring a problem between her and the husband. I was again on the streets job hunting and luck struck I met our family friend who promised he would help me secure a job as a secretary in their office. I had to do a probationary period in his office. While working, he would introduce sex centered discussions which I found indecent and coming from a would-be boss. Sometimes he would come from behind and place his hands on my back. I was not comfortable with that though I ignored it since he had the powers to recommend for the recruitment. At one point he made his intentions clear to me that he wanted to be having sexual affair with me and I objected. He did not mention anything about my application and his recommendation any longer and was only twisting any discussions about my application. I found out he was only interested in jumping into my pants in the name of helping me secure a job with the institution. I had again to stop going to the office and stayed at home contemplating what next to do with my life since it was like I couldn't get a job without having to offer sex in exchange. I managed to escape sexual violation and assault from my prospective employers and got so discouraged about job seeking. This made me to slow down on job hunting and I preferred to volunteer where I felt safe. I developed a resistance to male employers and the tiny woman in me grew with courage and determination to face the world. In all the challenges, I felt proud I succeeded to avert exchanging my body for a job. I was and am still filled with the desire to see a world where acquiring a job would have no strings attached and women can easily be employed without having to be exploited sexually.