Call to decriminalise prostitution
1 August 2008, 07:22
By Barry Bateman
Researchers have called for the decriminalisation of sex work to combat the exploitation and abuse in the industry.
On Thursday the Institute of Security Studies briefed the media on a new book, Selling Sex in Cape Town.
ISS senior researcher Chandre Gould said sex workers operated in a criminalised industry where they were subjected to exploitation with no recourse to the law.
"If sex workers were able to report and get assistance that would be an advancement of where we are now," she said.
Gould said in 2006 the ISS decided to undertake a study on human trafficking in South Africa and met several non-governmental organisations to look into the matter.
"It became clear that everyone knew there was a problem, but nobody knew its extent."
Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) got on board to assist with contacting all the brothels and sex workers and looked at the entire industry and the relationship between brothel owners and sex workers.
"We are now able to say sex work in Cape Town is not defined by the experience of trafficking," said Gould.
At the briefing was head of the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) human trafficking unit, Malebo Kotu-Ramopo.
She said the NPA had commissioned a three-year comprehensive study into human trafficking in South Africa that would get under way in December.
Kotu-Ramopo said details would be provided soon.
Sweat researcher Nicole Fick said they spoke to people who identified themselves as sex workers and those that solicited sex on the street and indoors and those working from brothels and residential properties.
A total of 1 209 people were interviewed, of which about 80 percent were operating indoors.
"It's an industry that is not seen, where the police don't intervene," she said.
She said 89 percent of the respondents were women, 9 percent men and 2 percent transgender.
Fick said only eight of the respondents were victims of trafficking, but they were all able to escape. They continued sex work elsewhere in Cape Town.
The study found that some sex workers paid up to 60 percent of their earnings to brothel owners, received fines of up to R5 000 for staying away from work, and a quarter of the respondents had been threatened by brothel owners.
Sex workers also had to be on the lookout for the police and faced arrest up to 10 times a month, but this did not deter them from their work.
"They just moved to other areas where they were less harassed by the police."
Fick said nearly half had been threatened by the police, a third asked by the police for sex in return for being freed, and 12 percent had been raped by police officers.
Gould said they found some of the women were grossly exploited, abused, raped and trapped by circumstances.
"But then we found some women who worked for themselves, determined their own working hours and in control of their circumstances because they chose to do so.
"It is impossible to talk about the industry as one type of experience as is often done.
"I feel the common notion of the helpless victim, not in control, deceived and moved and exploited, is far too simple a view for prostitution," she said.
Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre senior researcher Lisa Vetten said the belief that sex work and human trafficking were linked was because of the globalisation of US sex politics.
"It's to disguise restrictive migration policies and an excuse to clamp down on sex workers while at the same time looking liberal and open-minded."
Vetten said quite often women chose to be sex workers based on an evaluation on the options available to them.
"Women are not all total victims, they are not all forced and exploited," she said.
Researchers have called for the decriminalisation of sex work to combat the exploitation and abuse in the industry.
On Thursday the Institute of Security Studies briefed the media on a new book, Selling Sex in Cape Town.
ISS senior researcher Chandre Gould said sex workers operated in a criminalised industry where they were subjected to exploitation with no recourse to the law.
"If sex workers were able to report and get assistance that would be an advancement of where we are now," she said.
Gould said in 2006 the ISS decided to undertake a study on human trafficking in South Africa and met several non-governmental organisations to look into the matter.
"It became clear that everyone knew there was a problem, but nobody knew its extent."
Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) got on board to assist with contacting all the brothels and sex workers and looked at the entire industry and the relationship between brothel owners and sex workers.
"We are now able to say sex work in Cape Town is not defined by the experience of trafficking," said Gould.
At the briefing was head of the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) human trafficking unit, Malebo Kotu-Ramopo.
She said the NPA had commissioned a three-year comprehensive study into human trafficking in South Africa that would get under way in December.
Kotu-Ramopo said details would be provided soon.
Sweat researcher Nicole Fick said they spoke to people who identified themselves as sex workers and those that solicited sex on the street and indoors and those working from brothels and residential properties.
A total of 1 209 people were interviewed, of which about 80 percent were operating indoors.
"It's an industry that is not seen, where the police don't intervene," she said.
She said 89 percent of the respondents were women, 9 percent men and 2 percent transgender.
Fick said only eight of the respondents were victims of trafficking, but they were all able to escape. They continued sex work elsewhere in Cape Town.
The study found that some sex workers paid up to 60 percent of their earnings to brothel owners, received fines of up to R5 000 for staying away from work, and a quarter of the respondents had been threatened by brothel owners.
Sex workers also had to be on the lookout for the police and faced arrest up to 10 times a month, but this did not deter them from their work.
"They just moved to other areas where they were less harassed by the police."
Fick said nearly half had been threatened by the police, a third asked by the police for sex in return for being freed, and 12 percent had been raped by police officers.
Gould said they found some of the women were grossly exploited, abused, raped and trapped by circumstances.
"But then we found some women who worked for themselves, determined their own working hours and in control of their circumstances because they chose to do so.
"It is impossible to talk about the industry as one type of experience as is often done.
"I feel the common notion of the helpless victim, not in control, deceived and moved and exploited, is far too simple a view for prostitution," she said.
Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre senior researcher Lisa Vetten said the belief that sex work and human trafficking were linked was because of the globalisation of US sex politics.
"It's to disguise restrictive migration policies and an excuse to clamp down on sex workers while at the same time looking liberal and open-minded."
Vetten said quite often women chose to be sex workers based on an evaluation on the options available to them.
"Women are not all total victims, they are not all forced and exploited," she said.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of The Pretoria News on August 01, 2008
Cape Town
