Prostitution in South Africa: Developing a Research Agenda

http://www.svri.org/worker.htm

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 [email protected]

Seminar Presentations

Research Seminar Programme (pdf format, 265 kb)

Research Seminar Presentations

 South Africa: The law reform process – an overview, Cathi Albertyn

 Prostitution in South Africa: Racialized colonization of women, Melissa Farley
 Selling sex in Cape Town: Research methods and findings of a two-year study on the sex work industry in Cape
Town, Chandre Gould (pdf format, 429 kb)
 Poverty, gender inequality and HIV: Understanding Sex Workers’ Dilemma and Health , Wendee Wechsburg (pdf
format, 2890 kb)
 Men who buy and sell sex: research findings on transactional sex and use of prostitutes, Rachel Jewkes
 Population based estimates of men having sex with men (MSM) sex workers in Nigeria and South Africa , Zuki Fipaza
(pdf format, 163 kb)
 Prohibiting the purchase of sex in Sweden: Impact, obstacles, potential and supporting escape, Max Waltman
 An overview of human trafficking in South Africa , Carol Allais (pdf format, 749 kb)
 Female Sex Worker cohorts around Durban, South Africa: Improving health outcomes , Sengeziwe Sibeko (pdf
format, 3817 kb)
 Sex work research and advocacy: research as a means to empower and advance the rights of sex workers , Dianne
Massawe / Carolin Kueppers (SWEAT) (pdf format, 714 kb)
 Principles for regulating sectors previously unregulated, Astrid Ludin (pdf format, 101 kb)
 Monitoring and evaluation: Ideas emerging from the meeting , Rachel Jewkes (pdf format, 45 kb)

Online Resources and Materials

 

 The Decriminalization of Prostitution is Associated with Better Coverage of Health Promotion Programs for Sex
Workers. Harcourt C, O'Connor J, Egger S, Fairley C.K, Wand H, Chen M.Y, Marshall L, Kaldor J.M, Donovan B. Aust
N Z J Public Health, 34(5):482-6, 2010
 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  
 The Context of Economic Insecurity and Its Relation to Violence and Risk Factors for HIV among Female Sex Workers
in Andhra Pradesh, India. Reed E, Gupta J, Biradavolu M, Devireddy V, Blankenship K.M. Public Health Rep;125
Suppl 4:81-9, 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  
 High Prevalence of Forced Sex among Non-Brothel Based, Wine Shop Centered Sex Workers in Chennai, India . Go
V.F, Srikrishnan A.K, Parker C.B, Salter M, Green A.M, Sivaram S, Johnson S.C, Latkin C, Davis W, Solomon S,
Celentano D.D. AIDS Behav; ePub, 2010  
 A Descriptive Profile of Abused Female Sex Workers in India . Panchanadeswaran S, Johnson S.C, Sivaram S,
Srikrishnan A.K, Zelaya C, Solomon S, Go V.F, Celentano D. J Health Popul Nutr; 28(3): 211-20, 2010  
 Human Trafficking & Migration. Richter, M. University of the Witwatersrand, Migration Issue Brief 4, June 2010
 Sex Work & the Law: the Case for Decriminalisation . The World AIDS Campaign, 2010  
 The Need for Evidence to Assess Concerns about Human Trafficking during the 2010 World Cup . Gould C & Richter
M. ISS Today, 23 March 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  
 Of Nigerians, Albinos, Satanists and Anecdotes: A Critical Review of the HSRC Report on Human Trafficking.  Gould
C, Richter M & Palmary I. SA Crime Quarterly No 32, 27-45, 2010
 Survival Sex Work and Increased HIV Risk among Sexual Minority Street-Involved Youth . Marshall B.D, Shannon K,
Kerr T, Zhang R, Wood E. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr;53(5):661-4, 2010  
 Poverty of Opportunity Forcing Women into Prostitution--A Qualitative Study in Pakistan . Khan M.S, Johansson E,
Zaman S, Unemo M, Rahat N.I, Lundborg C.S. Health Care Women Int; 31(4):365-83, 2010  
 Prostitution and Trafficking of, Women & Girls in Iraq. Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq , March 2010
 Conceptualizing Juvenile Prostitution as Child Maltreatment: Findings from the National Juvenile Prostitution Study.
Mitchell K.J, Finkelhor D, Wolak J. Child Maltreat; 15(1); 18 -36, 2010  
 Violence Victimisation, Sexual Risk and Sexually Transmitted Infection Symptoms among Female Sex Workers in
Thailand. Decker M.R, McCauley H.L, Phuengsamran D, Janyam S, Seage G.R 3rd, Silverman J.G. Sex Transm
Infect, ePub ahead of print, 2010
 History of Abuse and Psychological Distress Symptoms among Female Sex Workers in Two Mexico-U.S. Border Cities .
Ulibarri M.D, Semple S.J, Rao S, Strathdee S.A, Fraga-Vallejo M.A, Bucardo J, De la Torre A, Salázar-Reyna J,
Orozovich P, Staines-Orozco H.S, Amaro H, Magis-Rodríguez C, Patterson T.L. Violence Vict; 24(3): 399-413, 2009
 Tackling the demand for prostitution: A rapid evidence assessment of the published research literature . Wilcox, A.,
Christmann, K.,  Rogerson, M & Birch, P. 2009
 Rights Not Rescue: A Report on Female, Male, and Trans Sex Workers’ Human Rights in Botswana, Namibia, and
South Africa. Open Society Institute, 2009
 Children and Prostitution: How Can We Measure and Monitor the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children? Ennew
J, Gopal K, Heeran J and Montgomery H
 Sex Worker Labour Rights: fact sheet on the Kylie case
 Migrant Sex Workers in the UK Sex Industry: Final Policy Relevant Report. Mai N. London Metropolitan University,
2009.
 South African Law Reform Commission, Discussion Paper 0001/2009, Project 107, Sexual Offences: Adult
Prostitution, 2009
 Men Who Buy Sex: Who They Buy and What They Know. Farley M,  Bindel J and Golding J.M. Eaves London and
Prostitution Research & Education, 2009
 Sex work, reform initiatives and HIV/AIDS in inner-city Johannesburg . Richter M. African Journal of AIDS Research,
7(3): 323–333, 2008
 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)
 Flawed Theory and Method in Studies of Prostitution . Weitzer R. Violence Against Women, 11(7), 934-949, 2005.
 Prostitution Harms Women Even if Indoors : Reply to Weitzer, by Melissa Farley, Violence Against Women 11(7):
950–964, 2005 (pdf format, 97 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)

Tools and Methodologies

 TAMPEP-Glossary of Terms for TAMPEP Reports

  Sex Work Research: Methodological and Ethical Challenges. Shaver F.M. J Interpers Violence, 20; 296,2005. (pdf
format, 138 kb)

SVRI Online Discussion Forum

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/.

For more information and to access seminar materials, please visit: http://www.svri.org/worker.htm. For any further queries,
contact [email protected]

Participant List

 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)

Links

 Human Rights Without Frontiers

 Institute for Security Studies
 International Organisation for Migration, Southern Africa
 Medical Research Council, Gender and Health Research Unit
 TAMPEP: European Network for HIV/STI Prevention and Health Promotion among Migrant Sex Workers
 Prostitution Research and Education
 Ruhama 
 Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT)
 South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC)
 Video: Rights Not Rescue, Open Society Institute, 2010