Agency Cape Town Escorts

A number of activists are demanding answers from the commission on Gender Equality.

They said this was despite the commission’s adopted official standing position in support of the decriminalisation of sex work in 2013, including a statement it released in March reiterating its support for the decriminalisation of sex work.

Asijiki national co-ordinator Constance Mathe, said they were concerned about this recently established committee of unidentified members which she said was formulated behind closed doors, and aimed at revisiting the commission’s position on issues such as sex work, termination of pregnancy and the rights of persons who do not identify as heterosexual and/or cisgender.

The Commission for Gender Equality has welcomed the ongoing talks on the possible decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has been holding consultative meetings on the matter.

The Commission’s spokesperson Javu Baloyi says, “We are saying let’s decriminalise this thing so these people can operate freely in the interim. Some of them are coerced into sex work. Now we will be able to assist them so they can access health services. We can also help rehabilitate some of them who were forced. When it is a choice, then there is a perception that is there, so we wanted to protect their rights.”

Cape Town - The Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Task force (Sweat) has called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to intervene in the alleged abuse of power by police after 57 workers were arrested across the country in the past week.

According to Sweat, none of the sex workers was officially charged with anything related to sex work, however 28 migrant sex workers were charged under the Immigration Act and appeared in courts in Germiston, Polokwane and Pretoria on Tuesday.