“TEENS FORCED TO TRADE BODIES FOR BREAD.
…………A deep look into kafue
A growing crisis is gripping Kafue’s Zambia Compound and Mtendere residential areas as increasing numbers of teenagers, both girls and boys, are being drawn into prostitution and substance abuse.
Community members and local leaders are raising alarm bells, pointing directly to the rising cost of living as the key driver behind this disturbing trend.
In recent months, Zambia’s economic pressure has intensified for ordinary families. The price of essential commodities such as mealie-meal, cooking oil, and soap has soared, leaving many households struggling to meet their basic needs. With most families living hand-to-mouth, teenage children are increasingly forced to fend for themselves often in dangerous and exploitative ways.
For many girls, prostitution has become a last resort for survival. According to residents, some girls as young as 14 are now seen soliciting truck drivers and passersby in Kafue’s central business district. Their clients offer small sums of money or even basic goods such as food, toiletries, or sanitary pads items their families can no longer afford consistently.
Astridah Phiri, a mother of three and long-time resident of Zambia Compound, expressed deep concern over what she described as a “quiet emergency” in the community. “Parents aren’t sending their children into prostitution they’re sending them to sell sweets or water in town to help the household. But the streets have changed. Older men manipulate these girls, and before long, they’re doing it for survival,” she said.
The economic reality has also pushed many teenagers out of school. With the cost of uniforms, transport, books, and even lunch proving too much for struggling families, some adolescents drop out entirely. Without education or daily structure, they are more likely to turn to risky behaviors, influenced by peers facing the same hopelessness.
For boys, the pressures manifest differently. Many resort to street hustling, theft, or joining gangs in a desperate bid to earn money. With no formal employment options and nothing to fall back on, substance abuse becomes both an escape and a coping mechanism. Glue-sniffing, codeine use, and alcohol have become disturbingly common in the area.
Miriam Hakachima, another resident, noted that families are under extreme emotional and financial strain. “The cost of living has broken many homes. Parents are frustrated and tired. They can’t supervise their children all the time, especially when there’s no food in the house. The kids feel the pressure and start looking for a way out,” she explained.
According to community members, this isn’t just a moral issue it’s a structural economic problem. Most of the families in Zambia Compound and Mtendere are unemployed or rely on informal trading, which is itself affected by inflation and inconsistent demand. When prices rise but incomes remain static or disappear altogether, it’s the children who suffer the most.
The lack of access to affordable healthcare and social services exacerbates the crisis. Teenage girls involved in transactional sex often face health risks like HIV, STIs, and early pregnancies yet many do not seek medical attention due to stigma or lack of money. Drug-using teens also go without rehabilitation or counseling, deepening their dependence and social isolation.
Gabriel Simfukwe, a community elder, warned that seasonal income cycles may intensify the problem. “When the sugarcane harvest ends and people have a bit of money, we see more alcohol, more parties, and more girls getting picked up by men with money. That’s when exploitation spikes and crime too,” he said.
Residents are calling for urgent government intervention focused not just on policing but on addressing economic vulnerability. They propose measures such as youth empowerment programs, free or subsidized school meals, community counseling services, and provision of essential goods to teenage girls, including sanitary pads and hygiene products.
But while community efforts matter, many stress that long-term change must come from national-level policies that stabilize food prices, increase access to free education, and create employment for parents. Without these broader reforms, the local interventions may only offer temporary relief to a worsening crisis.
The cost of living is no longer just a matter of economics it has become a public health and safety issue, with teenagers bearing the brunt. Unless urgent action is taken, Zambia risks losing a generation of youth to poverty, addiction, and exploitation. Kafue is a warning sign of what may happen in many parts of the country if the root causes are not addressed.
July 1, 2025
©️KUMWESU
Picture for illustration purposes only