Why it’s okay to be a commercial sex worker for survival — Shaffy Bello

Veteran Nollywood actress, Shaffy Bello, has sent the media space into a frenzy following her unconventional and highly controversial perspective regarding commercial sex work among young women.

The stylish screen diva, who featured as a guest on a recent episode of the Moraya Show, asserted that engaging in transactional sex, locally referred to as being a “runs girl,” is understandable if it is strictly driven by sheer survival or pressing family needs. According to her, rather than casting stones at women in the trade, she chooses to understand the harsh socio-economic realities that force many into it.

In a video snippet from the show that has since gone viral, Bello explained that some ladies take up the trade due to desperate burdens, such as the pressing need to feed their mothers or sponsor their younger siblings through school.

While stating that she does not judge commercial sex workers, the actress boldly advised those currently in the trade to carry out the hustle with dignity, albeit with a strict caveat that it must never become a permanent career choice.

“If what you are doing now is being a ‘runs girl’ to make money, you don’t have to stay there. I understand it, I never judge. If you go be ash*wo, do am well. Do it well with respect and your full-chest. However, don’t stay there,” Shaffy Bello advised.

Warning women against tarrying in the trade, the veteran actress pleaded with young girls to only view it as a momentary means of making a living during extreme financial crises rather than a lifelong occupation.

As expected, Bello’s blunt remarks have triggered a storm of mixed reactions across various digital platforms, with netizens heavily divided over the moral, ethical, and socio-economic implications of her advice to vulnerable young women.