Members of SA’s first sex workers’ rights organisation, Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), Sisonke, a national sex workers movement, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, addressed social development MEC Bukiwe Fanta, with representatives from various departments and NGOs, at the Buffalo Club last week to tackle issues such as HIV/Aids, TB, and gender-based violence.
SWEAT members called for better opportunities for their children, safety from sexual violence and targeted murder, and alternative job opportunities so they could leave sex work.
They said their children were ostracised or beaten due to the stigma against sex work. They spoke about the lack of responsibility or repercussions for perpetrators who assault or murder sex workers.
There was a resounding call to decriminalise sex work.
A national study in 2021 by the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit, published in the journal SSM-Mental Health, found that in 2020, 70% of sex workers experienced physical violence and 57.9% were raped by police, clients, other men or an intimate partner.
Sisonke media liaison Nomda Qwesha, 40, from Gqeberha, said: “Today went well. We have a good relationship with SAPS, as much as SAPS is continuing to promise that they will [assist us] and our programmes. We are happy that all the departments are here listening to our stories from the streets.”
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, MEC Fanta said: “This is a very sensitive sector. There should be an age limit on sex work like any form of employment because there can’t be women who are 65 years old and still sex workers, there must be a programme where the government accommodates those women to be able to sustain themselves.”
Fanta reprimanded the HOD and organisers for not providing enough promotional materials like caps and T-shirts for attendees.
She advocated for the decriminalisation of sex work and shared an anecdote about an unnamed ANC member who raped a sex worker whom she wanted removed from ANC leadership because she didn’t want to work with abusers.
She continued by saying she had met a male, gay sex worker most of whose clients were politicians and that he lived a lavish lifestyle because of this.
ANC MPL Nontuthuzelo Maqubela said the Eastern Cape legislature had been deployed by the Commonwealth Women’s Parliament (CWP) to attend the engagement session.
Maqubela said: “As there were issues raised such as collaboration with different government stakeholders (education, health and community safety) it is important to get a report from these government stakeholders to provide the legislature with a political committee.”
During her speech, two men entered and began to hand out yellow ANC T-shirts at the door from a massive bag, which she asked for them to “stop for the moment.”
When the event ended they were waiting outside.
Dispatch asked Fanta about the ethics of canvassing at the event, she said: “The reason why today we are talking about sex workers openly and LGBTQIA+ is because of an ANC-led government, and we are not going to hide that.”
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