Sex workers negatively affected by COVID- 19
The health and wellbeing of sex workers is inextricably linked to that of their clients and to the broader public even though this is largely neglected in the current COVID- 19 risk reduction efforts.
Therefore working with highly stigmatised populations during public health pandemics is not new. Services are stretched and struggling to meet demand and need as there is proof that sex workers in Botswana continue to experience violence, stigma, discrimination and other human rights violations since the start of the pandemic.
This calls to action the road to reducing HIV and STIs in Sex Workers Community, to inform public health researchers, clinicians, and health educators about the current status of sex work during the pandemic.
“Sex workers have been, affected negatively by COVID- 19, the lockdowns and curfews have significantly reduced their customer base leading to loss of income though they need to support their families.
“Furthermore, access to health services is a challenge since people cannot just go to health facilities to utilise services,” Tosh Beka Founder and Executive Director of SISONKE Botswana, an organisation advocating for the safety of Sex Workers, said. She added that there have also been isolated incidences of harassment and violations by clients and law enforcement officers.
Beka explained: “Surprisingly cases of violence against sex workers have declined. This may be due to reduced interaction with many clients. We recorded about 40 cases of violence since the outbreak of COVID- 19”.
Although some sex workers have continued in- person sex work, most had not been tested for COVID- 19 they do not know what their clients have been doing; whom they have been with and the clients could easily lie to them about their whereabouts.
Based on these emerging findings, the conclusion is that in order to prevent COVID- 19 among sex workers, personal protective equipment, COVID- 19 testing, and information/ educational resources related to engaging in sex during COVID- 19 must be accessible and widely available.
According to a report titled ‘ Sex work and violence in Botswana’ by Aids Fonds; Sex workers from Francistown and Gaborone experience increased violence compared to those from Kasane/ Kazungula and Palapye.
The Aids Fonds report presents the main findings of a study in Botswana examining violence against sex workers. It is part of a regional study in the Southern African region under the Hands Off! Programme.
The report also states that 60 percent of sex workers in the study experienced violence in the past year, for example, “You might go to a client expecting to find him alone and when you get there you find 10 of them.
“Then they tell you, you know what we are all in and they will exchange you and there will be nothing you can do. They will switch off your phone, use you and after they finish they will take all the money you made and leave you there,” a participant from a focus group discussion in Francistown said.
“When you are drunk and sleep in the car of a client he might drive with you and go throw you in the bush or just some place where you don’t know,” another participant in a focus Group Discussion in Palapye, said.
“When the client told me to come and find him, instead he followed me and wanted to rape me. He beat me up and my leg was injured, the other one cut my hair and twisted my waist because I said ‘ no condom, no sex’ but he beat me up and promised to kill me. He threw me in water and left me there,” said a Gaborone female sex worker.
“As a sex worker, you are not treated as a person but just something else that every man can just come have sex with and not even give you money,” revealed Gaborone female sex worker.
However, sex worker organisations in Botswana, Sisonke in partnership with Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV and AIDS ( BONELA) have developed rapid response strategies to support their peers in overcoming these challenges.
They have set up emergency and mutual aid funds and developed resources, programmes and campaigns. They have also been working alongside other groups and communities to advocate for income and health support for all and an end to repressive policing and statesanctioned violence.
“Through the implementation Hands off 2 project in partnership with BONELA, supported by Aids Fonds we utilised the emergency mobile rapid response, where we conducted mobile treatment drives ( ARV refills); emergency fund for nutritional support of HIV positive and negative sex workers; support for documented and undocumented sex workers and their children,” Beka confirmed.
When giving security tips to the sex workers who may find themselves being violated by clients, she said they can use mobile emergency response system to report cases and start exploring the use of ICT to service their clients.
“Sisonke through the support of BONELA offers free legal services to sex workers whose rights have been violated,” she added.
To secure safety and wellbeing of sex workers in Botswana, the sex workers organisations urge the government to decriminalise activities associated with sex work; to adopt supportive laws; and to develop preventative and protective services, care and support.
In addition, specialised training and guidelines for law enforcement officers and improved police accountability are needed. The sex worker movement needs to be strengthened and supported to protect and defend sex workers rights.