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Vitalis Kavele Court Reporter
Two Harare women yesterday appeared at Mbare magistrates’ court on allegations of luring primary school girls into prostitution at their brothel in a suburb in the capital.
Alleged ringleader of the child prostitution ring Jane Mitton (60) of No.  10 Adams Road, St Martins, and her accomplice, Ngonidzashe Mbengo (28), of the same neighbourhood were charged for contravening Section 86 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
The law stipulates that it is an offence to permit a young person to engage in unlawful sexual conduct.

The two face allegations of taking part in a child prostitution ring that involved forcing the young girls to have sex with men in exchange for money allegedly paid to them with a small amount going to the girls.
The juveniles were allegedly lured with promises of being paid US$20.

The State, led by prosecutor Ms Cyndrella Moyo, revealed that sometime towards the end of last year, Mbengo befriended two teens, identified as victim 1 (14) and Victim 2 (15).

It is alleged that on February 25, Mbengo introduced the 14-year-old girl and her friend to Mitton at her place in St Martins.
The following morning, Mbengo took the juveniles from school and brought them to Mitton’s place where they were ordered to remove their school uniforms and wear clothes prepared for them.

The court heard that the girls were shown a room each where they would have sex with male adults.
The girls were given various amounts of money by the men they slept with on various occasions which would be allegedly  taken away by Mitton and Mbengo.

The teens would remit half or all of the amounts they were given by the clients to Mbengo each time they were hired.
Mbengo would decide on the amount to give the girls.

The child prostitution ring was busted on March 4 this year, when one of the victims confided in her teachers and narrated her ordeal.
She told them how she became truant from school and got lured into the prostitution net by money.

The girl went on to tell the teachers how she contracted a sexually transmitted infection at the brothel.
School authorities then notified the parents of the teens who then reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of the duo.
Investigations by the police led to the identification of various victims linked to the child prostitution ring.