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.”