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Zambia

As previously mentioned, prostitution is above all linked to a precarious economic situation. Faced with rising food prices, a low human development index, rising fuel and transport prices, inequalities continue to widen. Suffering from these hardships, Zambians are ready to resort to extreme measures. Some groups are particularly vulnerable: students, single mothers, street children, the homeless and the unemployed. Many students are involved in prostitution to pay for their tuition fees. Indeed, corruption does not allow disadvantaged students to obtain scholarships. University dormitories can thus be transformed into brothels. Some students play the role of "Madams", they communicate with sex buyers and recruit young girls. The sex buyers, who are mostly men, are called "Sugar Daddies". Prices depend on the time at which the trick takes place and the physical appearance of the young woman. The price of a girl who is considered to be within a so-called ‘superior category’ is ZMW 500 (USD 42). In some cases, young women are classified into categories (“high”, “medium” or “low”), based on their physical appearance. "Connection" fees vary between ZMW 50 to ZMW 150 (USD 4 to USD 13).