sex work

Sex workers' advocates have called for the decriminalisation of prostitution in South Africa as a preventive measure to contain the spread of HIV during this year's World Cup.

Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce, director, Eric Harper, says that a rise in demand for prostitution during the World Cup could be a ‘recipe for disaster’, as researchers have estimated that almost half of female sex workers in Johannesburg alone have HIV.

The Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) has criticised Cape Town police sometimes ask sex workers for sexual favours in exchange for not arresting them.

In an affidavit filed in the Cape High Court, SWEAT is asking the court to order the South African Police Services and the municipal police to stop what it says are ongoing arbitrary arrests and harassment.

Sex workers have launched the Johannesburg branch of Sisonke, an organisation that advocates for the legislation of sex work.

Sisonke is advocating for sex workers to be recognised as professionals who have the same rights as other workers. “We want to work with the police. We want to walk the streets and hotel foyers freely”, the organisation says.