The practice of sex workers selling semen of their clients to persons suspected to be cultists persists in parts of the country.
An investigative documentary telecast by Ghana’s most watched TV station, TV3 last year, captured evidence of the sale of the sperm by a syndicate. They exchange their clients’ sperm for cash.
Sperm Merchants as it was christened further revealed that the sellers are connected to other groups in other regions in the country.
A year after the exposé, the practice still persists compelling Stanley Nii Blewu to go undercover again to bring the latest in a documentary dubbed ‘Sperm Merchants Revisited.’
Prostitution is often referenced as one of the world’s oldest trades; despite this fact, it remains illegal in many countries including Ghana.
The practice has been very amenable to change, adopting new technology and trends to keep it alive. Perhaps the internet has been one of the most revolutionizing technologies to impact the work of sex workers.
Hook-up is one of the glorified names for prostitution these days; mostly used amongst the younger generations. It mostly involves soliciting for sex via the internet sometimes with the sexual act happening virtually.
The convenience and perhaps the reach of the internet has made it a worryingly flourishing venture seeing young females joining the practice in their numbers by the day; poverty is the often-referenced excuse.
But at the heart of the commercially viable sex industry is the dastardly business of semen trade. Female prostitutes trade in used condoms containing semen of their clients. They are believed to be involved in money rituals.
The practice, our initial investigations revealed, is common in the Upper West, Ashanti and Greater Accra regions. There is a located at the outskirt of the Wa. The hotel plays host to some ladies suspected to be involved in the sale of semen of their clients. The practice we understand had persisted for years in the Upper West Region.
Here, not just anyone can buy the used condoms containing semen. In order to gain their confidence, I had to pose as a money ritualist popularly known as ‘Sakawa boy’ who was urgently in need of semen to satisfy his ritual requirement.
I met the lead member of the semen selling syndicate after my fixer earlier engaged her about my intent. Despite the engagement with my fixer, her trust was not won over easily.
She angrily scolded the investigator, saying “don’t test pulse”.
It however took five days to convince her to sell the semen to me after I managed to prove to her that I belonged to a secret cult and that the semen was needed for a ritual.
The leader of the syndicate, Gloria not her real name, met me in the hotel I was lodging to deliver her first consignment of ten used condoms containing semen.
After receiving her cash and certifying me as a genuine client, she introduced her compatriot, Favour, also not her real name, to me. The ladies supplied a total of twenty-five pieces of used condoms containing semen of their clients and received cash.
After obtaining evidence of the sale, I invited Gloria to my hotel room again but this time I disclosed my identity to her and inquired from her why she engages in that practice.
In response, she said, “somebody brought me to Ghana to use my vagina and pay five thousand cedis. After paying her, I now have to look for my own.”
She added that, “I am the only daughter of my mother. If she knows that I am doing this job, she will disown me.”
The group operating in Wa is also affiliated to other groups in Accra. That was a year ago when I exposed the work of these young ladies engaged in the sale of semen to suspected cultists in Wa in the Upper West region.
I made a follow up visit back to the town to ascertain the latest developments. The Odo Hotel was my first port of call.
Hafiz is the new manager of the hotel. He was appointed to manage the facility after the owner sacked the previous managers and ejected the sex workers who were mainly involved in the semen trade.
Hafiz confirmed that the CEO’s action was in direct response to the sperm merchants expose. Upon request, he linked me to two other locations in Wa where the sex workers ply their trade. An annex of Odo hotel in the Wa town was where the team headed.
Rejoice has been a regular sex worker at the Odo hotel annex. She said she narrowly escaped a police swoop when their brothels were raided following the expose from the Sperm Merchants documentary last year.
She recounted, “that day I run. People were giving information about the police raid, so I could not wait.”
She said a lot of her colleagues were arrested that day, but she escaped. Rejoice said subsequent raids by the police and Immigration Service personnel at their brothels have been frequent.
There is another popular entertainment center in Wa noted for its vibrant night life.
It is also a location where the trade of sex is a common feature; its cubicles serve as brothels for mainly Nigerian sex workers.
Happiness is one of the numerous sex workers here. She had already spent four months at the brothel at the time I met her in March 2024. She opens up about her venture into prostitution but denied knowledge about the sale of semen of clients.
She said, “you can’t sell it (sperm). Anybody who tries to sell that thing (used condom), you will kill yourself. Because you wear the condom for the sex which means that both parties have their bodies attached so anything you do to affect the man will also affect you. But my people don’t have that sense.”
Happiness alleged that she is one of several girls trafficked to Ghana to engage in the sex trade, claiming that she was set free after she paid off her supposed madam who was her pimp. Happiness said if money is involved, she can sleep with about thirty men a day to raise more money.
But she laments that frequent raids of their brothels by Immigration officers, especially after the expose is now affecting their patronage.
She further revealed that men who patronize sex workers in Wa now demand to take home their used condoms containing their semen out of fear their semen would be sold to cultists.
But in most cases, the men do not easily get their requests granted. Prostitution in the Upper West regional capital is a fast-growing trade with new recruits coming in every day.
But in the face of the booming sex work, traditional authorities say they are repositioning themselves to deal with the phenomenon of semen sale in Wa.
The Waala Traditional Council which was alarmed by the expose wants the police to enforce the laws of the land to the letter.
A divisional Chief, Naa Kaadire Jinpene who is also the spokesperson for the Waala state, described the semen sale by the sex workers as abominable and pledged immediate measures to stop the practice.
He said, “If there were evidence as TV3 showed in that documentary that people were engaging in that illegal activity called commercial sex with the issue of sale of sperm, then our expectation was that immediately, the police in particular and all other relevant institutions should look into the matter decisively and clamp down on that practice.”
While the authorities in Wa may be working at fighting the worrying trend, it may seem this isn’t a battle for them alone to handle. The semen merchants in Wa are affiliated to other syndicates in Accra.
Kiki and Sharon are into inter-regional hook up business, and also members of the network deeply rooted in the semen sale cartel. Sharon said she has initiated ten young ladies into prostitution who supply her with men’s used condoms upon request by suspected cultists.
She claims majority of her sperm suppliers reside in Labadi, a suburb of Accra. I went to La in the Ladade-kotopon municipality to meet a group of young individuals disturbed by Sharon’s revelations.
Yaw Obeng appeared frightened by Sharon’s revelation. He said, “Personally I don’t patronize sex workers, but the part that strike me is where the hotel attendants are also involved in the sperm selling business. Because, once a while you take your babe out and have some nice time. You don’t know yours could have been. But consciously, when I finish with everything, I make sure I don’t leave my rubber (used condom) there.
Another resident, Ishmael said, “when I heard that this place (Labadi) was the headquarters of the sperm sale, I said this place is hell for us to live.”
They fear hospitality firms in the area are no longer safe for them. For these youth, the sperm merchant documentary has been an eye opener.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the sperm selling syndicate persists. But it isn’t a situation any victim is likely to know or feel an immediate impact of, thus making the fight against the practice a difficult one.
Even more difficult is the inability of any government to fight prostitution and eradicate it totally in the face of technological advancement that has boosted the trade.
Perhaps tackling prostitution as much as possible, especially amongst young, desperate to be rich young people could be the first step in a battle that could take decades if not centuries.
This documentary airs tonight (August 23, 2024) at 9:30pm.
