In Summary
- A Persons Sex Life is deeply impacted by their attachment style.
- Criminalization of prostitution is criminalization of a person’s status
- Prolonged and repeated trauma precedes entry into prostitution
Mental Health advocates have welcomed the proposal to delete sections 153, 154 and 155 of the Penal Code, which imposes a prison sentence of up to 3 years for sex workers.
In an exclusive chat with Ghetto Radio News, Mathew Mutiso, a Mental Health Advocate says,
criminalizing prostitution is criminalization of a person’s status and subsequent criminalizing their work.
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Prostitution As A trauma Response.
He further explains how people who get into prostitution could be responding to pain experienced before.
The traumatic experiences He says, are either from the household level, community level, environmental level that have happened to an individual before they reach the age of 21.
Examples Of Traumatic Experiences
At household level one might have gone through parental neglect, postpartum depression, rejection, abandonment, death of a parent and much more scenarios.
At a community level individuals who have experienced bullying, homelessness, lack of opportunities, lack of social capital abuse and poverty .
Environmental level He notes individuals who have experienced occurrences such as earthquakes ,floods, heatwaves ,epidemics and pandemics, droughts, famine and many more
In cases where individuals have gone through such life changing experiences,
He says sex becomes an act of survival to escape from traumas and pain however as one grows, it becomes a means to an end.
In addition He says, addiction to prostitution , masturbation and pornography are all related noting that sexual arousal produces a feel good hormone that numbs pain or anxiety or depression however deep down its an emotional detachment.
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Individual’s attachment style
According to the Nairobi based Advocate, a person’s sex life is deeply impacted by their attachment style.
He gives a few examples on the same,
- Anxious Attachment
In such cases, He says individuals generally have a high need for sex as a way to stay safe and connected . They view their own sexual desirability as a way to keep someone connected .
- Avoidant Attachment
They have a general discomfort or low desire for sex and fear emotional connections.
