The Social Cost of Exploiting Women's Vulnerability

According to "The Star", a report documenting twenty survivors from Kenya reveals how women and girls were lured through social media with fake employment and money offers. Eighteen of them were targeted with promises of work and money only to be coerced into sexual acts, blackmailed and even trafficked abroad. 

In one case, a woman who responded to a job advert in Malaysia was raped and threatened by her supervisor. When she returned to Kenya and reported it, police demanded DNA evidence which she did not have.

In Kibera, Nairobi's largest informal settlement, girls seeking water were sexually exploited by men posing as "water brokers" . Offenders sometimes record photos and videos to blackmail victims into continuing sexual activity. 

Parents often urge silence due to fear and shame, trapping girls in harmful cycles. Social media platforms often have explosive discussions and comments about sharing and posting of intimate images and videos of victims by their perpetrators. For instance,the "Russian guy" trends on various social media platforms after exploiting massive number of vulnerable women and capturing the moments using hidden camera and shares them on social media.

The exploitation of women's vulnerability remains a major social issue in many parts of the world. It mainly arises from social, economic and cultural factors that place women at a disadvantage. Poverty is one of the key causes as women who lack financial stability may be forced to depend on others for survival, making them more susceptible to manipulation and unfair treatment.

Limited access to education also contributes significantly, since education empowers individuals with knowledge about their rights and opportunities. 

Other contributing factors include unemployment, lack of economic opportunities and weak legal systems that fail to adequately protect women from abuse and discrimination. 

In situations of conflict, displacement or economic crisis, women and girls often become even more vulnerable to exploitation.When laws exist but are poorly enforced, perpetrators takes advantage of these gaps, knowing that victims may have little access to justice or support .

The effects of exploiting women's vulnerability are far-reaching and deeply damaging. Women who experience exploitation often suffer from emotional trauma and long-term psychological effects such as anxiety, depression and loss of self-esteem.

Beyond the individual level , the impact extends to families and communities. When women are exploited,the well-being of their children and dependents is also affected. This lead to social isolation and stigmatisation due to communities that judge survivors instead of supporting them resulting to broken marriages, family rejection, community gossip and discrimination.

The exploitation of women is not just a "women's issue ", it is a community, moral and development issue. Exploitation of women can only end when courage, accountability and compassion begin. 

Every time a survivor is blamed instead of supported, society sides with the oppressor. Every time we remain silent,we allow dignity to be traded for survival. It is time to shift the norm from shame to justice ,from silence to protection,from vulnerability to empowerment. 

A nation that safeguards its women safeguards it's moral foundation and its future. The question is no longer on existence of exploitation,but its on whether we are willing to confront exploitation.