Pimp my ride for 2010: Sex work, legal reform and HIV and AIDS

Sex workers have generally been overlooked in South Africa and research on HIV/AIDS and sex workers is limited. It is however clear that sex workers are very vulnerable to HIV. In studies conducted in 1998 in South Africa, HIV prevalence rates amongst different sex worker groups were between 45% – 69%. It is likely that HIV prevalence rates amongst sex workers are presently much higher, while it is apparent that the on-going criminalisation of the industry continues to fuel the AIDS epidemic and to disregard the human rights of sex workers. South Africa’s National Strategic Plan 2007-2011 (NSP) explicitly recommends the decriminalization of sex work and the implementation of sex work-specific programmes. Regrettably, implementation of these provisions has been slow to non-existent. This article describes the legal reform process of sex work and will make recommendations on how South Africa can rationally respond to sex work in the build-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

ISBN: 978-1-920550-40-0
Publisher: Gender Links
Edition: 7th Edition
Year of Publication: 2009