Women venture into fish cages to combat sexual exploitation – The Standard Health

A group of women active in Lake Victoria can breathe a sigh of relief after several organisations set up an empowerment programme to protect them from sexual exploitation.

Women working in Mbita sub-region, Homa Bay Province are being encouraged to invest in fish cage farms.

The Rusinga Nile Perch women’s group, operating on Nyagina Beach on Rusinga Island, is receiving support from non-governmental organisations led by Farm Africa to engage in cage farming of fish.

Mary Nyale, Farm Africa Director, said the project will involve providing the women with fingerlings and a fish cage with a capacity of 35,000 fingerlings.

Nyale gave a lecture at Nyagina Beach during a tour of the aquaculture project.

“Our aquaculture project has started in Lake Victoria. We have already installed a fish cage which currently holds 35,000 fingerlings,” she said.

The Country Director of Farm Africa said that their aim is to make women financially independent through producing and selling fish.

“We want to empower these women to earn an income and create employment,” she said.

Nyale said they started the project after the women told them they were being sexually exploited by fishermen.

Some fishermen demanded that they have sex with the women before selling their fish.

“We started this project after the women complained that some fishermen were exploiting them. We want them to produce and sell fish without depending on the men with the intention of sexually exploiting them,” Nyale said.

She said they had trained the women in fish farming and would put them in touch with buyers once the fish matured.

The women’s group’s chairwoman, Betina Ochola, described the initiative as a revolution that will save them from sexual exploitation by men.

“The exchange of fish for sex is a serious problem that affects us. This project will enable us to produce our own fish, which means we will no longer be dependent on such men,” Ochola said.

Cynthia Auma, a member of the group, said their goal is to buy another cage.

“Our goal is to become financially stable as a group and buy another cage later,” Auma said.