20 March 2005: RESIDENTS of Kumasi are bound to witness an amazing demonstration next week as commercial sex workers operating in the Adum area have threatened to take to the streets in the nude to protest against the demolition of two buildings where they operate.

They said they intend to match to the offices of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), which carried out the demolition exercise.

The Adum area is notorious for commercial sex operations and the operators have lived there for many years.

Fuming, the prostitutes, many of them in their teens, made all sorts of remarks about the exercise.

"We will not sit down for anybody or group of people to deny us of our livelihood. We have no means of livelihood and what work do they want us to do to survive in these harsh economic conditions" one of the prostitutes asked.

The affected buildings, are said to have been sold to a private developer following an agreement reached between two feuding families claiming ownership. The prostitutes, however, blamed the KMA for the whole exercise.

They said they were aware of plans by the KMA to eject them from the area, and vowed to fight against the KMA’s action, which they claimed, was being carried out without any notice.

According to them, if they had been informed about the decision to demolish the buildings, earlier, they would have made alternative arrangements to continue their business.

When contacted, the Metropolitan Engineer of the KMA, Mr Ampomah Mensah, said the property was private and therefore the KMA had no hand in any decision to either sell or develop it.

He said he was not aware of any plans by the prostitutes to go on a demonstration against the KMA. He indicated that those who owed the land had every right to demolish the structures.

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