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MOMBASA, Kenya (IRIN) – When police in Kenya’s coastal tourist city of Mombasa conduct night raids, it is not unusual for a large number of sex workers arrested to be under 18.

The government faces a struggle to end a trade that many young girls see as a fast way out of poverty and into a more glamorous life.

Munirah* spends her days looking for customers at the city’s Kenyatta Public Beach. Just 15, she already has one child and is the sole breadwinner for her household.

“My widowed mother lost both her hands while working at a steel processing factory in Mombasa, forcing me to do what I am doing,” she told IRIN/PlusNews.

Munirah says she has been selling sex for six months and has already slept with several men, mainly tourists. Most of her clients prefer sex without a condom. When asked if she was aware of the risks of HIV, she shrugged and admitted she had never been for an HIV test.

According to Grace Odembo, a field coordinator with the NGO, Solidarity with Women in Distress, SOLWODI, many of the girls on the streets have limited formal education and therefore little chance of gainful legal employment.

She said “beach boys” – young men who hang around the beaches – acted as pimps for tourists seeking young girls and were paid handsome commissions, fuelling the cycle of child sex work.

“This large number of small girls you see loitering along the beaches looking for wazungu [white men] and even those engaging in legitimate businesses such as selling curios… they fall prey to beach boys who [tell] them they’ll be introduced to perfect rich suitors, only to have them end up in the arms of sex pests instead,” Odembo said.

According to a 2006 study by the government and the UN Children’s Fund, as many as 30 percent of teenage girls in the coastal towns of Diani, Kilifi, Malindi and Mombasa were involved in casual sex work. More than 10 percent of girls began transactional sex before the age of 12.

The study also found that 35.5 percent of all sex acts involving children and tourists took place without condoms.

In 2004, Kenya introduced the “Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism” to create awareness and prevent commercial sexual exploitation of children. However, the code seems to have done little to deter tourists seeking sex with minors.

Members of Kenya’s tourism sector say poverty is the main reason young girls turn to sex work, and why it is so difficult to fight the phenomenon.

“The parents, most of whom happen to be poor, instead encourage their daughters [to sell sex] so as to supplement their family earnings,” said Titus Kangangi, chairman of the Kenya Association of Hoteliers. “In many cases, a guardian sides with the accused whenever sexual abuse charges are brought.”

Out of court settlements are the norm in such cases, with tourists paying off families of young girls to avoid jail terms.

Action needed

Tourism Minister Najib Balala told IRIN/PlusNews it was important to rid the coast of its reputation of a haven for child sex tourism.

“This embarrassing tag must be dealt with right from the community level; it is a cartel that needs so much attention if we have to win,” he said. “It has cost the region and country credible tourists and investors, who now see the country as a sex destination.”

Balala said the government was putting more effort into adhering to the code of conduct by cancelling the business licences of establishments allowing tourists to check in with underage girls.

SOLWODI counsels young women and offers alternative incomes through microfinance loans. However, its resources are limited and for many girls, the small loans from NGOs are no match for the income they earn from wealthy tourists.

Poverty is key

Odembo said the government needed to be more vigilant in keeping young girls off the streets. “The government needs to come up with enough rescue centres within the region,” she said. “They should also get to the bottom of why a child found loitering in the beach isn’t attending school.”

According to James Weru, programmes director for the NGO, African Pro-poor Tourism Development Centre , tackling poverty is key to ending child sex tourism.

“Tourism is one of Kenya’s biggest income earners, but less than 20 percent of this income trickles down to local economies and as a result, locals remain very poor,” he said. “The government needs to spread the income out to benefit the locals so that there is less temptation to go into sex work.”

He noted that it would also be important to enforce adherence to the code of conduct and to back this up with serious legal consequences for defaulters.

“We also need to carry out education for tourists and ensure that we are getting the right kind of tourists,” Weru added. “Many governments have lists of paedophiles who are blacklisted from entering their countries, but we have no such measures in Kenya.”

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*Only one name used to protect the child’s identity

– Provided by Integrated Regional Information Networks.

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Unsecured loans are the emerging trends in the loan sector. These are in very much demand in the industry. People want them as no collateral is required. The person with bad credit score can also apply for this loan facility. Today people don’t want to lose there their hard earned assets. To protect them from the loss of their asset they want these types of loan. Unsecured loan provide them with the kind of services that any other loan is not giving.

Unsecured loans are the loans in which the person can borrow money from the bank at higher rate of interest. But the facilities are also great as there is no need to keep a check on the credit score as loan is given not on credit score. The person who has gone bankrupt in the past can also get this type of loan. The amount of loan is small and it is usually taken by people for various small purposes like medical problems, child education facility, for repair and maintenance of the car for good holidays etc.

Unsecured loans have taken a new loop in the market of UK. These loan have provide a good business opportunity to banks. As by giving money to people on high interest rates helps them in yielding more and more revenues for the banks and financial institutions indulged in this loan providing facility. Unsecured loan are the booming trends for the banks of UK.

Apart from the various facilities they provide, they are easy to repay also. An individual can repay these loans in very easy installments. The amount is deducted each and every month itself from the account of the borrower of the money. Hence, in the end, one would say unsecured loan is becoming the key loan facility provided by banks these days. And if someone is in need of this kind of loan can avail this loan without any hassles.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (AHN) – British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell announced Monday a reshuffle in his cabinet to focus on the province’s main aims of supporting families, education and the economy.

Cabinet members who were moved include George Abbott, who was given the education portfolio; Margaret MacDiarmid, who got tourism; Barry Penner, who was picked to head Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation; and Murray Coell, who got the environment portfolio.

Among those whom Campbell retained in their posts are Finance Minister Colin Hansen, Health Minister Kevin Falcon, Attorney General Mike de Jong and Minister of Public Safety Rich Coleman.

New appointees are Stephanie Cadieux as minister of community, sport and cultural development, and Paul Taylor as chief of staff. Taylor, the former chief executive officer of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, will replace Martyn Brown, who testified in the Basi-Virk corruption trial.

Campbell, who is suffering from a 9 percent voter support in polls, said in a statement, “This new structure will streamline government processes for critical natural resource industries to ensure we can better attract global investment and turn proposed projects and investments into actual work sites and jobs. It enables us to move forward with our federal partners towards establishing a ‘one project, one process’ model.”

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A split in the education department has led to high vacancies, inadequate equipment and bigger budget needs.

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Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – Hollywood loves its animals, and lots of celebs are all about anti-fur education and supporting the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Therefore, of course celebs would turn out for the 30th anniversary gala for PETA at the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday night.

The event, hosted by “30 Rock’s” Alec Baldwin, brought out several celebrities who wanted to show their love for animals, including honorees Anjelica Huston, “Glee’s” Lea Michele, Eva Mendes, “Twilight’s” Kellan Lutz and Christian Serratos, Dave Navarro and “Inglourious Basterds’ “Eli Roth, and presenters Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Abbie Cornish, Pamela Anderson, Iggy Pop, Jena Malone, “One Tree Hill’s” Sophia Bush and Kelly Osbourne.

Baldwin got involved with PETA through his ex-wife, Kim Basinger, he told “Extra” correspondent AJ Calloway in an interview.

“This is one of my favorite stories,” Baldwin said. “It’s 1991, and I’m lying in bed, sound asleep, and an earthquake starts to happen and my ex-wife bolts up in bed and the first thing that comes out of her mouth, ‘Get the dogs!’ I knew where I stood. But she’s a great dog lover. She had 11 dogs.”

Other celebrities in attendance graced the red carpet wearing fabulous outfits that had no fur or animal skins. Australian starlet Cornish looked beautiful on the red carpet wearing a black one shoulder full skirt cocktail dress from the David Meister Signature Collection available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, and small-screen stars Bush and Michele each wore cream-colored dresses – Bush in a one-shoulder Reem Acra frock and Michele in a strapless Jose Daran dress – and even posed together in their not-planned matching colors inside the party.

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What do the letters behind a real estate agent’s name stand for? Real estate agents, like doctors, lawyers, and other professionals can ear designations, certifications, and other credentials. These are usually shown by putting a series of initials after the agent’s name. The most common designations and certifications are: Broker, REALTOR, e-Pro, CHMS, GRI, ABR, and CRS.
What does an agent have to do to obtain the designation or certification?
e-Pro requires an agent take a class on basic computer skills. It has no real estate content, but ensures your agent can use email and the web. It should really be a bare minimum bar for the technology aptitude of your agent.
REALTOR is the one of the easier credentials to obtain (but one of the hardest to live up to). A REALTOR is a real estate agent that belongs to the National Association of REALTORS and agrees to follow the Realtor Code of Ethics. You can read about the code here http://www.realtor.org/mempolweb.nsf/pages/Code?OpenDocument
Broker is a bit harder to obtain than REALTOR. In Texas, for example, a broker license is required to be able to operate your own real estate company. An agent must have their license for 2 years and complete over 600 hours of real estate education prior to applying for a broker’s license. The broker’s license is granted upon completion of an exam administered by the state. Brokers are basically real estate agents with advanced educations.
GRI stands for Graduate Realtor Institute. Less than 50% of agents have this designation. The GRI requires 12 days of continuing education with passing grades on three exams. There are no production or time requirements so an agent can literally earn this designation by sitting in class for 12 days and passing the tests. This designation is in no way a measure of real estate sales experience.
ABR stands for Accredited Buyer’s Representative. Less than 30% of agents have this designation. This designation combines 2 days of classroom work and an exam with the requirement that the agent show proof of at least five buyer sales. This designation shows that the agent has had both formal classroom time and in the field experience.
CRS stands for Certified Residential Specialist. Less than 4% of all agents have this designation. This is the most difficult designation to obtain and is a measure of a high degree of formal education and real world transactional experience. To obtain a CRS, the agent must attend three 2-day classes, pass three exams, and provide proof of 25 closed transactions within the last 24 months. While the transaction experience isn’t a huge amount, it does weed out the inexperienced agents and the classes weed out those agents who aren’t dedicated to continuing education.
Other designations are out there, but for the most part they are issued by inconsequential groups and have no real bearing on the agent’s abilities and are used more for marketing purposes than anything else.

Here’s a short list in which many investors are utilizing to close the deal on real estate investments day in and day out. Would you like to get your hands on it? Well below you’ll find the list in which many potential investors would kill for or you ready to do the same?

Winging It – virtually every real estate course made available online or in the offices of real estate investors advises potential investors to practice the “fake it, ’til you make it” strategy and to just go with the flow even without a plan. This is one of the many ways so many people are swindled out of hundreds and thousands, and sometimes millions of dollars. You never want to go into a business without a plan.

The Absence of a Professional Team – if you’re seriously considering breaking into the business of real estate; good luck. The important thing to remember is to not go at it alone. It’s important that you build a team of professional that have your best interest at heart. This may be difficult from the offset but with research and information it can be accomplished.

Breaking the Bank on a Deal – never enter into a business deal with the intent of purchasing a home without first knowing the worth of the property. There’s never a bad time to invest in real estate regardless of what the media is saying.

Building Business Entities without Your Name – to many people end up losing everything they own for this very reason, don’t become a victim of this. If you’re in the business of gambling, it would be best to go to Las Vegas. It’s important that you do extensive research in order to get a better understanding of how corporate entities work.

The Wild, Wild West Mentality – if you’re under the impression that you can do whatever you like when facing homeowners in dire need, it would be best to take a look in the mirror and rethink your assumptions. It’s all about following the rules if you want to be successful in this line of work.

Title Researching or Not – this can lead you into an abyss with no possible way of getting out. Title searching is important and should not be taken lightly, so it would be smart of anyone investing time, money and life into real estate to learn how to search titles wherever necessary.

Cash Reservations – in the real estate business it will always be about the money, no matter what. It’s not always about using your money to find deals, land deals or close deals; however, it will always take money to make money in real estate regardless of what anyone may say.

Your Education Should Not Go Ignored – education has always been the gateway to success and it doesn’t change in the business of real estate, and education should not be based upon some infomercial you saw last night. Educating yourself can come in various forms but don’t waste money on education that you could be using for handling deals. Too many people spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on real estate classes only to have nothing to show for it. Let your education speak for itself through the closing of MASSIVE DEALS.

Crunching the Numbers Correctly – this is one way many people learn the hard way about real estate investing because they end up misjudging either their purchase figures or their fixer up and/or holding cash. This is one mistake that could end your career before it even gets started.

Last but not least, it goes without saying, real estate is not a get rich scheme – GO FIGURE!

Author: Chris B. Jenkins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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