There’s a growing problem in South Africa.
The government is compromising the safety and well-being of women and obstructing efforts to end the HIV pandemic by treating sex work as a crime.
As a result, women who sell sex to survive are forced to work in dangerous locations, harassed by police officers, and afraid to report violent attacks.
Keeping sex work illegal is a public health risk.
South Africa has the largest HIV epidemic in the world and the world’s largest treatment program. Because the disease has disproportionately impacted sex workers, their clients, partners, and children, the government created a National Strategic Plan on HIV for Sex Workers.
Yet health workers and activists say that criminalization of sex work obstructs efforts to prevent and treat HIV infections among sex workers.
And it’s counterproductive.
Criminalization of the sale or purchase of sex by consenting adults creates conditions in which violence and other abuse is tolerated.
So what should happen?
We spoke with researcher Skye Wheeler about why South Africa’s government should listen to what sex workers have to say about how best to protect their rights.
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