In South Africa prostitution / sex work is stigmatised and illegal, and prostitutes / sex workers are a particularly marginalised section of the population. Poverty, inequality and prostitution / sex work are inextricably linked, with most sellers of sex being female and poor. Research on the extent and context of sex work / prostitution in South Africa is relatively limited, and policy debates are often fuelled by passionate advocates both for and against the selling of sex. Feminist debates on the issue are fervent and often polarised, with one side arguing prostitution/sex work is always forced, and thus equates with rape; and the other side viewing prostitution/sex work as a form of work, requiring policy reforms that provide better work conditions and protections for sex workers. The need to better understand sex work / prostitution in South Africa has been thrown into sharp relief by the work of the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) which has been reviewing legislation on sex work / prostitution for some years, and is under pressure to make firm recommendations.
Given this political reality, the Sexual Violence Research Initiative, and the Medical Research Council with support from Embrace Dignity and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women hosted a workshop on 14 and 15 April 2010 in Pretoria, South Africa, to assess what is known about prostitution / sex work and the industry in South Africa and reflect on key issues that should be a focus for future research and methodologies that would be appropriate for monitoring and assessing the impact of legislative change. Forty participants from research institutions, non-governmental agencies, the criminal justice system, advocacy agencies, government and international organisations attended this seminar.
The seminar identified specific outcomes in monitoring and evaluation of research in the field and proposed a number of priority areas for research. Additional important outcomes of the seminar was the need for: clear and differentiated definitions of prostitution / sex work and transactional sex; research tools and methodologies to address the methodological and ethical challenges in doing sex work / prostitution research; and, understanding diversity within the field when developing a research agenda.
To add materials to this webpage or for any further queries, contact us at svri@mrc.ac.za
The Mental Health of Female Sex Workers. Rössler W, Koch U, Lauber C, Hass A.K, Altwegg M, Ajdacic-Gross V, Landolt K. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 122(2):143-52, ePub, 2010
Violence against Female Sex Workers in Karnataka State, South India: Impact on Health, and Reductions in Violence Following an Intervention Program. Beattie T.S, Bhattacharjee P, Ramesh B.M, Gurani V, Anthony J, Isac S, Mohan H.L, Ramakrishnan A, Wheeler T, Bradley J.E, Blanchard J.F, Moses S. BMC Public Health; 10(1): 476, 2010
Children of Female Sex Workers and Drug Users: A Review of Vulnerability, Resilience and Family-Centred Models of Care. Beard J, Biemba G, Brooks M.I, Costello J, Ommerborn M, Bresnahan M, Flynn D, Simon J.L. J Int AIDS Soc. Suppl 2:S6. 2010
Sugar Girls and Seamen: A Journey into the World of Dockside Prostitution in South Africa. Trotter, H. 2008
Rights Not Rescue: A Report on Female, Trans, and Male Sex Workers’ Human Rights in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa (Executive Summary). Crago A and Arnott J. Open Society Institute, 2008
Navigating Risk: Lessons From the Dockside Sex Trade for Reducing Violence in South Africa’s Prostitution Industry. Trotter, H. Sexuality Research & Social Policy, Journal of NSRC, 4 (4), 2007
Bad for the Body, Bad for the Heart: Prostitution Harms Women Even
If Legalized or Decriminalized, by Melissa Farley, Violence Against
Women 10(10), 1087-1125, 2004 (pdf format, 164 kb)
Rehashing Tired Claims About Prostitution: A Response to Farley and Raphael and Shapiro, by Ronald Weitzer, Violence Against Women 11(7), 971–977, 2005 (pdf format, 46 kb)
People Involved with Selling Sex: Developing a Definition for Research
At a recent research seminar in South Africa on people involved in selling sex, participants reflected on key issues that should be a focus for future research and methodologies that would be appropriate for monitoring and assessing the impact of legislative change. One of the emerging issues from the seminar was on how to define selling sex and how this differs from transactional sex. From the concerns raised, we would like to pose the following questions for discussion:
1. What is the definition of selling sex?
2. How should the sale of sex be differentiated from transactional sex?
3. What are the implications of this definition for establishing all of the locations in which the sale of sex occurs?
4. In terms of research, what are the opportunities and limitations of defining it according to self-identification?
5. If you define it in one way instead of another way what are the biases and implication for policy?
We would appreciate your contribution to this very important area of research. To register for the SVRI online discussion, visit: http://www.svri.org/forums/.
Research Seminar Participant List: Prostitution / Sex Work in South Africa: developing a research agenda, 14-15th April, 2010, Leriba Lodge, Pretoria, South Africa (pdf format, 198 kb)
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