South Africa decriminalises sex work to tackle wave of violence

SOUTH Africa is to decriminalise sex work to tackle the growing wave of violence against women.

Under the new legislation, the sale and purchase of sexual services will no longer be treated as a crime.

“It would also mean better access to healthcare and … afford[ing] better protection for sex workers, better working conditions and less discrimination and stigma,” Ronald Lamola, the country’s justice minister, said.

It follows a wave of violence against women and sex workers and repeated calls to better protect them. It is hoped the law will also bring down the country’s HIV rates, the world’s highest.

One of the most horrific cases of recent years was that in which the bodies of six suspected sex workers were found badly decomposed at a panel beating shop in central Johannesburg in October. The suspected killings took the total number of missing sex workers in Johannesburg at the time to 13.

According to Sonke Gender Justice, a non-profit organisation, South Africa has some of the highest rates of sexual violence globally.

It is argued the criminalisaton of sex work greatly increases sex workers’ vulnerability to violence and illness, particularly HIV, while reducing the likelihood that abuse will be reported.

Rights group SWEAT hailed the introduction of the legislation as “incredible news”.

“With sex workers no longer labelled as criminals, they can work much better with the police to tackle violence,” the group said.

Amanda Gouws, a professor of political science and the South African research chair in gender politics at Stellenbosch University, said the proposed law is “long overdue”.

South Africa’s post-apartheid constitution is among the most liberal in the world, allowing for progressive laws on abortion and same-sex marriage, but sex work has long remained a divisive issue.

“For the longest of time, we have been ignored,” Yonela Sinqu, a spokeswoman for the Sisonke National Movement of Sex Workers, told AFP news agency, saying calls for decriminalisation started decades ago.

“It took tenacity, resilience and a magnitude of stubbornness to continue raising our voices.”

Parliament has to approve the legislation for it to become law, and the procedure will take a few months.