Wednesday, 7 August 2019
Available in
South Africa: Decriminalize Sex Work
Feature
Duration
: 5m 8s
(Johannesburg, August 7, 2019) — South African authorities are compromising the safety and wellbeing of women and obstructing efforts to end the HIV pandemic by treating sex work as a crime, Human Rights Watch and the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) said in a report released today. South Africa should decriminalise the exchange of sex for money by consenting adults.
“Sex workers in South Africa face arrest, detention, harassment and abuse from police, which also deters them from reporting rape or other brutal attacks against them,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, acting deputy executive director for programme at Human Rights Watch. “All over the world we and other rights groups find the same patterns of abuse where sex work is criminalised.”
“Sex workers in South Africa face arrest, detention, harassment and abuse from police, which also deters them from reporting rape or other brutal attacks against them,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, acting deputy executive director for programme at Human Rights Watch. “All over the world we and other rights groups find the same patterns of abuse where sex work is criminalised.”
Videos (2)
Clip Reel
6m 41s
Social
1m 1s
Related News
ENG
FRA
ESP
Thursday, 8 October 2026
US: Deportations to African Countries Not Their Own
Denied Due Process; Some Returned to Danger in Home Countries
ENG
FRA
Wednesday, 22 July 2026
DR Congo: Oil Company Operations Pose Grave Pollution Threat
Transparency Needed to Address Health Risks to Nearby Communities
ENG
Friday, 12 June 2026
Malawi: People with Albinism Face Discrimination, Barriers to Work
Stigma, Insecurity, Lack of Accommodations Undermine Rights