The Eastern Regional Police Command has arrested 18 suspected prostitutes in the New Juaben Municipality.
Confirming the arrest to the Daily Heritage, the Public Relations Officer of the Regional Police Command, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh said the suspects were arrested at about 1:30 am last Wednesday dawn by Police Patrol Team led by DSP Sewornu.
He said the 18 suspects rounded up were between the ages of 20 and 36 years.
He said they were arrested while “soliciting for sex at various vantage points within the municipality.”
The suspects are being screened and processed for court.
The New Juaben Municipality is becoming notorious for commercial sex activities as many commercial sex workers from outside the region join the locals to engage in the illicit sex act.
Among them are children who have joined the bandwagon of commercial sex trade in the municipality.
The Regional Child Protection Committee formed under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has over the years chalked some successes in reducing the menace of child prostitution which was becoming alarming in the municipality.
In 2016, the Committee closed down two brothels where commercial sex workers including children operated.
In the heat up to the 2016 election, some minor commercial sex workers, who were operating in the municipality in an interview with Starr News’ Eastern Regional Correspondent, Kojo Ansah, said they were willing to stop trading sex for money if provided jobs that could give them income to take care of themselves and family.
The Municipal Chief Executive for New Juaben, Comfort Asante, during a town hall meeting organised by the assembly in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, stated that, Child Prostitution was one of the anti-social vices the assembly was committed to eradicate.
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