To Lebanon's Kamal, his job is a job like any other. Kamal, whose name has been changed at his request, is a year-old pimp based just outside of Beirut, where prostitution thrives โ though it is illegal โ in hotels, nightclubs, brothels, private homes, chalets and even on highways.
Demand soars in the summer season, so we help each other out across the networks. They pass girls over to us when we need them and vice versa.
Kamal owns a club in a coastal city north of Beirut, which has a reputation as a prostitution hub. They start off as dancers and often turn to โ or are forced into โ prostitution in after-hours. But Kamal says he prefers employing Lebanese and Syrian women, who are "in great demand among Arabs. For a mere 20 dollars 14 euros , a receptionist at a luxury hotel provides a selection of pictures to a potential client who can then "choose a blonde, a brunette, one woman or three," said Kamal.
And in a country where sex before marriage is still frowned upon and where a young couple kissing in the street may be reprimanded by police, female sex workers โ some of whom are still legally minors โ can sometimes be seen on the hunt for wealthy clients, particularly men from the oil-rich Gulf seeking an outlet in a country dubbed the most liberal in the Arab world.
Some of the women interviewed by AFP said they were drawn to the practice largely for economic reasons. Nada, a voluptuous year-old in high heels and a plunging neckline, turned to sex work at the age of The circles most difficult to crack are those in which prostitution is a family affair, says Asmar. The story of year-old Soha, a Syrian working in Lebanon, is a case in point: her pimp is her husband. I tried to run away in vain. Like many girls, she says she is now resigned because of financial need, abuse and fear of what people will say.
