Leasing house to prostitute
Is it an offence to lease a house to commercial sex workers?
If it is an offence what is the fate of the house leased to the prostitutes in case the landlord or the landlady is convicted of leasing his or her house?
Is prostitution an offence in Tanzania?
There is no express offence called leasing a house to prostitutes, however a person who knowingly leases a house for prostitution may be charged and prosecuted for the offence called keeping a house for the purpose of prostitution contrary to section 148 of the Penal Code [Cap.16 R.E 2022].
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Hakuna kosa la kukodishia nyumba kwa lengo la ukahaba isipokuwa iwapo mtu kwa ufahamu wake anapangisha nyumba kwa ajili ya ukahaba anaweza akashtakiwa kwa kosa la kutumia nyumba yake kwa lengo la ukahaba kinyume na kifungu cha 148 cha Kanuni ya Adhabu.
It is an offence under section 148 of the Penal Code to keep a house, room, set a room or place of any kind for the purpose of prostitution.
Section 25(e) of the Penal Code gives Courts powers to impose a forfeiture order against any property used to commit a crime or against any property which is a proceeds of a crime. Upon conviction the Court may order forfeiture of the house leased to the prostitutes without necessarily following the long procedure under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The Penal Code does not directly prohibit prostitution but sections 145 and 146 prohibits living on the earnings of prostitution wholly or partly.
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Kanuni ya Adhabu haizuii moja kwa moja ukahaba ila vifungu vya 145 na 146 vinazuia kuishi kwa kutegemea mapato yatokanayo na ukahaba aidha kwa kiasi au asililia zote.
We don’t think there is a prostitution which is done entirely for leisure.
Prostitution is mostly for earning a living, so a person found engaging in prostitution or harbouring prostitutes can be arrested and charged with the offence of living on the earnings of prostitution.
The fact that the offender is wholly or partially living on the earnings of prostitution might not have direct evidence.
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Ukweli kwamba mkosaji anaishi kwa kutegemea mapato ya ukahaba unaweza usiwe na ushahidi wa moja kwa moja.
However, the offence can be proved by circumstantial evidence showing the average number of customers the offender is serving or harbouring, other lawful activity she/he is doing apart from prostitution and the circumstances in which the offender is arrested.
It is worth noting that this offence of living on the earnings of prostitution covers both male and female and it extends to those collecting the proceeds of prostitution and live on such proceeds wholly or partly.
By FB Attorneys.
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