Sugar daddies are still one of the forces driving HIV infections among teenage girls and young women in South Africa. But a recent investigation by Wits Vuvuzela, the University of the Witwatersrand’s campus newspaper, found that a number of female students boasted about being “sugar babies”. These young women are into the high life and aren’t afraid to put out to get it. They favour the more extravagant lifestyle and admit the easiest way to meet their material needs is to get themselves a “papa bear”. They said the term was less “stigmatised” and they could use it freely in public conversations. Wits Vuvuzela spoke to young women with sugar daddies and each knew of several more. A 20-year-old Wits medical student admitted she had a papa bear, but not because she needed money. “Honestly, I love money. I know some probably do it to pay for school and stuff, but that’s not why I have one.” She has both a white and a black papa bear, but would not disclose the identity of either. Her white sugar daddy is 42, but she would give no information on the other. “People liken having a papa bear to prostitution, but it’s different,” she says. “These men are paying for my time and, quite frankly, I don’t mind selling my time.” » Get City Press newspaper today for the full story, including how the risk of HIV increases if a young girl is dating a man five or more years older than her
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 19:28:46 +0000