Christiane Amanpour Interview With Ghanaian Actress On Sex And The Public Shaming Of Women

This month, CNN Chief International Correspondent and world renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour visited Ghana. She is known for her hard hitting interrogation of leaders, and for bringing difficult stories to audiences not just in America, but around the world. On her Ghanaian trip, however, she was out to seek stories for a new series on "Sex & Love Around the World". 

 Amanpour conducted a great interview with Moesha Boduong, an actress in Accra, who unapologetically spoke about her transactional relationship with a married man. Boduong's is the story of women who find it difficult to navigate the hurdles built into the journey to financial independence, and it is not new. It is common even in my own country, Uganda.

"You can’t make enough money as a woman here. Because if you want an apartment, you have to pay for two years in advance and I just started working. Where will I get money to pay?" Boduong told Amanpour.

First reactions from Ghana pointed to Amanpour being shocked at Boduong's story and the fact that these stories exist around the world, not just in Ghana. In short, it was not a new discovery. However, many viewers came out to shame the actress for the relationship. In the wake of the same old slut-shaming – while no one interrogates the man or the underlying issues that push young women into these kinds of relationships – Amanpour had to publicly defend the woman who was scared for her life.

Ozzy Etomi, a Nigerian writer, unpacks the issue of sex work and transactional relations. She rightly calls out the power imbalances that lock out young women, forcing them to resort to using whatever means to climb out of poverty. She says "morality is a virtue that can only be afforded by those who have never had to simply survive."