WHITE RIVER – This Women’s Month, several sex workers said they felt left out every year when women were celebrated because their rights were being violated daily.
“Sex work, like any other profession, is work and we should be allowed to do it freely,” a prostitute who waits for clients on the Sabie Road told Mpumalanga News.
She added it was difficult and almost impossible to secure a job in this country which was highly challenged by unemployment, and prostitution helped them to provide for their families.
“We are not stealing anything from anyone, hence we say that we should not be treated like criminals,” she emphasised.
The current legal situation in South Africa involves the criminalisation of sex work with consequences such as the abuse of sex workers’ rights, violence against them and abusive treatment by the police.
“We suffer at the hands of the very same police who are supposed to protect us. Some demand our services for free and assault us in a way that even criminals are not treated,” added another sex worker.
In 2012 the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) supported decriminalising the sex trade for adult prostitutes, saying it would ensure a safer working environment, and prevent police officers from victimising them.
However, a number of religious leaders expressed concern about the trade saying that it contributed to the moral decay in society.
“If the government agrees to legalise this immoral act like it did with abortion, it will just add to the criminal activities in the country.
The whole tragedy with prostitution is fuelled by greed, drugs, STDs, human trafficking, extortion, murder, rape and violence.
