With the 12 specialised key population clinics in South Africa funded by the US government, and now shuttered, getting treatment at government clinics has been difficult, if not impossible
Thandeka, who has been working in the sector for 13 years, says a new reality TV series is edifying
Because it involves one partner who provides the other with a reward in exchange for sex, it’s not an equal power relationship
When sex work is not a criminal offence, workers are much safer because they can report crimes against them to the police
Mia Malan interviews Deputy Justice Minister, John Jeffery, and United Nations special rapporteur on the right to health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, about what’s next for sex workers
Evidence from other countries suggests South Africa could see a drop in rapes and sexually transmitted infections for everyone if the bill goes through
They need to be able to work in a legal system that does not punish them for making a living
Sex workers were seen as a source of disease, then as enabling interracial relations. Sex work is still illegal in democratic South Africa
The proposed new law is aimed at affording sex workers better working conditions, access to health care and remove the discrimination and stigma against them
Aside from the economic benefits, urgent decriminalisation is needed to ensure constitutional rights of the country’s estimated 153 000 sex workers
In the face of their families’ poverty, young men, persuaded by the prospect of wealth or education, travel to Europe with their older female sponsors only to be trafficked for sex
Porn stars and sex workers are badly treated — they should be protected by the law
In an increasingly digital world, OnlyFans has given online creators a new way to make money on their own terms
When conflict and Covid-19 disrupt schooling and devastate the economy, girls drop out, and teen pregnancies rise
Disclosure, a Netflix documentary examines the world’s transphobic legacy as portrayed in film and television from as early as 1901
Those on the street say that the usual abuse has intensified under the lockdown