Igniting and fostering change

THE Dignity Partners work together to end commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking by advocating for and promoting the Equality Law (partial decriminalisation) on adult prostitution and providing support for exit.

The Equality Law is an abolitionist law that decriminalises those bought and sold for sex, and provides support for exit, and criminalises those who exploit them.

There is a growing international trend supporting the Equality Law, that was pioneered in Sweden in 1999 and followed by Norway, Iceland, Canada, Northern Ireland, France (2016) and Ireland (2017)

The abolitionist Equality Law is effective coherent strategy that focuses on demand to end this exploitation and give hope to those trafficked and abused by the system of prostitution.

There are positive signs of support for this approach in South Africa.

The South African Law Reform Commission released their Final Report on Adult Prostitution recommending the Equality Law as one of their recommendations. The report of the High Level Panel on the Assessment of Key Legislation and the Acceleration of Fundamental Change chaired by former president Kgalema Motlanthe indicated support for the Equality

Law.

The NCOP Petitions Committee in their final report on the Embrace Dignity petition to parliament which was passed unanimously by the NCOP also indicated support for the Equality Law.

The passing of the Equality Law in South Africa would put South Africa at the forefront of the movement for gender equality and those addressing patriarchy and the system of prostitution and sex trafficking.