Is child prostitution rife in Newcastle?

Curled up under a bundle of blankets, a teenage girl yawns as she wakes. At a quick glance, she resembles any teenager enjoying a late morning sleep.

However, she is no ordinary 16-year-old. *Annabelle is in fact a prostitute and has been one for quite some time.

But are child prostitutes working the streets of Newcastle, offering sexual predators the opportunity to satisfy their sordid hunger?

“I have done a lot of drugs, but none as bad as whoonga,” she said.

Whoonga, also known as nyaope, is a white powder that is usually combined with dagga.

But what is whoonga?

It can be a mixture of rat poison, heroin, detergent powder, anti-retro-viral drugs, milk powder, pool cleaner to bicarbonate of soda.

Highly addictive and dangerous, this drug is one of the contributing factors which led Annabelle to a life of prostitution.

What did her parents do to stop her?

Her father lives outside Newcastle with another woman, apparently giving little attention to his daughter.

Annabelle does not know where her mother is.

With little parental affection, she found solace in drugs and the arms of her 23-year-old boyfriend.

The combination proved to be a dangerous combination.

“I want to get out of this lifestyle now, I am tired,” she said.

But is Annabelle the only child prostitute?

Newcastle Crisis Centre’s Director, Mary Dobbie, claims Annabelle is no stranger to social workers.

Over the years, social workers have worked tirelessly to try and help Annabelle onto the straight and narrow.

But sadly, she is not the only teenager who sold her body.

“There are more and more girls working in Paterson Street, and they are not all 20-years-old,” says Dobbie.

Allegedly there are girls as young as 12 years who are prostituting themselves.

Dobbie said these youngsters operated more often during the school holidays, their parents often totally unaware.

“But there is hope for those who want to leave prostitution,” Dobbie explained.

There is a place of safety in Pine Town, called Open Door Crisis Centre.

Open Door Crisis Centre is a non-profit outreach organisation. Its aim is to sustain a holistic, multifaceted one stop crisis and trauma centre.

Offering counselling, social services and support groups, the organisation is determined to help those in need.

To report child prostitution, contact one of the following numbers:

• Child Welfare – 034 312 6228
• Crisis Centre – 034 315 3389
• Crime Stop – 08600 10111.

If you wish to leave prostitution, contact Open Door Crisis Centre on 084 409 2679.

By reporting child prostitution or any other sexual abuse, you can save a life.