The Bauchi State Hisbah board has successfully rehabilitated over 570 commercial sex workers through a comprehensive empowerment program that equipped them with vocational skills and start-up capital to begin new lives.
Chairman of the state Hisbah board, Barr. Aminu Balarabe Isa, disclosed that the initiative was designed to reintegrate these women, whom he referred to as "women of free virtue," into society through sustainable means of livelihood.
The beneficiaries, drawn from various communities across Bauchi State, received specialized training in practical vocational skills including tailoring, hairdressing, makeup artistry, and other trades that would enable them to earn legitimate income.
According to Barr. Isa, the commission had initially considered arranging marriages for the women but discovered through investigation that most had resorted to prostitution due to economic hardship and poverty.
"Instead of forcing marriage on them, we decided to address the root cause, which is poverty, by empowering them with skills and start-up capital," Isa explained.
The chairman emphasized that the program represents a significant shift from punitive measures to restorative justice, an approach he noted is deeply rooted in Islamic values of compassion and rehabilitation.
This initiative comes as part of broader efforts by the Bauchi State government to address social issues through empowerment rather than criminalization, recognizing that economic factors often drive individuals into socially unacceptable practices.
The rehabilitation program has been praised by social welfare experts as a model approach that addresses the underlying causes of prostitution rather than merely treating the symptoms.
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