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Guyanese sex workers trekking to Suriname’s gold fields
Paramaribo-Guyanese sex workers are trekking to Suriname’s goldfields in search
The remains of a 'cabaret' or improvised brothel in the 'Kriki Negi' gold fields, Suriname, (De Ware Tijd photo)
of work and are striking it rich, the De Ware Tijd newspaper reported yesterday.
With gold at an all time high, the prostitutes are coming also from Brazil, Dominica, and French Guiana.
A field investigation by de Ware Tijd said that the industry is attractive to both local and foreign women, with the main motivation being the quick cash involved.
“No minors are coming, but the ages vary between 20 and even 45. Many Brazilians, Dominicans, Guyanese and French are coming to ‘work’ in the gold fields, as well as Surinamese women,”, says one woman active in the gold fields near Brownsweg in the District of Brokopondo.
One Guyanese woman says she is paid two grams of gold for twenty minutes and five for an entire evening, and she can sell one gram for SRD 150 in Paramaribo. In a good month, she can earn at least US$2,000 (Guy$400,000).
Another woman says her ‘work’ in the gold fields is very lucrative, but adds immediately that she is not proud of what she does. “This work is filthy and I don’t intend to do this for the rest of my life. I want to buy my own equipment to get started in the gold business.”
The women say they are discreet in order to prevent their close relatives, particularly their children, from finding out about their work. There is growing concern about the social disruption in hinterland communities close to gold fields. Village heads in particular have often sounded the alarm, and the issue has even been discussed in Parliament many times. Especially young girls reportedly cannot resist the temptation of fast and easy money.
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