ABSTRACT

This qualitative study examined the risk exposure, nature, and incidents of sexual and other forms of abuse experienced by underage waitresses. Fourteen female bartenders of outdoor pubs within Lagos metropolis between the ages of 13–15 years, and 10 bar owners/managers of pubs with underage waitresses, were engaged in the study, while an inductive thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. The engagement of young girls as waitresses was predicated on their being considered as sources of cheap labor by bar owners/managers, and as easier to be sexually victimized by the customers. The structural power-differential between bar patrons and waitresses, bar management’s rules against workers confronting customers, and the unequal power relation based on age gap were conditions that fueled the vulnerability of underage servers as suitable targets for abuse. Findings from this study portend considerable physical, mental, sexual, and emotional risks for the young waitresses which call for more research and policy interventions.

摘要

这项定性研究调查了未成年女服务员遭受的性虐待和其他形式虐待的风险暴露、性质和事件。14 名年龄在 13 至 15 岁之间的拉各斯大都市户外酒吧的女调酒师和 10 名有未成年女服务员的酒吧老板/经理参与了这项研究，同时对叙述进行了归纳主题分析。年轻女孩担任女服务员的前提是她们被酒吧老板/经理视为廉价劳动力的来源，并且更容易受到顾客的性侵害。酒吧顾客和女服务员之间的结构性权力差异，酒吧管理层禁止员工面对顾客的规则，基于年龄差距的不平等权力关系是助长未成年服务器成为滥用目标的脆弱性的条件。这项研究的结果预示着年轻女服务员面临相当大的身体、心理、性和情感风险，需要更多的研究和政策干预。