Forced to work in dangerous locations, harassed by police officers, and afraid to report violent attacks, sex workers in South Africa urgently want their work to be decriminalized. For years, the legal status of sex work – prohibited under an apartheid-era law – has been a controversial subject of debate amongst civil society groups and government departments. Based on her interviews with female sex workers in South Africa, researcher Skye Wheeler talks to Birgit Schwarz about how criminalization affects those who sell sex to survive, and why South Africa's government should listen to what sex workers have to say about how best to protect their rights.
How did you find sex workers willing to talk about their work despite it being illegal in South Africa?
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