Source: Leadership
The first set of rehabilitated commercial sex workers, who have undergone vocational training, courtesy of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), are set for graduation by September 2011.

The sex workers, numbering 50 would also receive a grant of N100, 000 from the administration to enable them start up their own businesses.

The coordinator, Society Against Prostitution and Child Labour in Nigeria (SAP-CLN), Mrs. Grace Adogo, who disclosed this while taking journalists on a tour of the centre, said the girls would be entitled to another N100,000 after six months following a report of good usage of the initial take off grant by an assessment team. She added that the girls would be given another N60, 000 after three months, bringing the total to N260, 000.

The group is a non-governmental organisation partnering the FCT on the rehabilitation programme

She explained that the graduation, billed for August, had to be postponed till September because of the Ramadan period.

Adogo said the girls had been able to prove to the administration that with the necessary support and training, they could be very useful to themselves and the society.

She assured that the centre would continue to provide rehabilitation and training to repentant commercial sex workers, while urging members of the public to accept and assist the girls to properly reintegrate into the society and refrain from stigmatising them.

A cross-section of the girls expressed appreciation to the FCT administration for the opportunity given to them, saying it had helped them to have another view of life.

They however appealed to the administration to extend the training period for other sets of trainees from three to six months to enable them have a grip of whatever skill they learn before leaving the centre.

• Nigeria