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Reports coming from neighbouring Zimbabwe indicate that some landlords are taking advantage of the #Lockdown and offering an exchange of sex for rent to their tenants who might be struggling to pay rent as most countries across the world are on lockdown.
According to reports, cases of landlords reported to have offered sex in lieu of rent have increased.
According to an NBC News report, advocates like Khara Jabola-Carolus, executive director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, say there are cases of landlords asking for sexual favours from female tenants in exchange for rent.
While the number of cases wasn’t necessarily astronomical — the commission received 10 reports about nine landlords — Jabola-Carolus said they were especially notable given such cases go “vastly underreported.”
“Landlord coercion has always been a reality, but we’ve never seen anything like this,” Jabola-Carolus said.
“The coronavirus creates the perfect conditions for landlords who want to do this because not only are people being instructed to stay home, but the virus has added to the economic stress with people losing their jobs, especially in Hawaii, which is driven by tourism.”
Though no official report has been made in Southern Africa, the lockdown does not seem to be ending anytime soon. South Africa is currently on a lockdown that will be reviewed on the 30th of April. Zimbabweans, on the other hand, are waiting for an official word on whether the lockdown has been extended or not.
Many tenants especially those with females only might be tempted and fall for the sex for rent scam from dodgy landlords as the economic impact of the lockdown is leaving people with no rent money or basic foodstuffs.
Also in South Africa and Zimbabwe, most of these cases go vastly unreported. While the number of cases wasn’t necessarily astronomical — the commission in the US received 10 reports about nine landlords offering sex for rent.
