Sex on sale in daylight, Times of Swaziland

1. Prompt discussion about sex work and how it can be covered in the media.

2. Show subtle sterotypes in the media.

3. Demonstrate how additional information and facts can strengthen reporting.

 

Trainer’s Notes: The article is significant because it does attempt to approach sex work from a gender perspective, interviewing two sex workers about why they are involved in sex work.  It also begins to make the links between HIV and sex work.  The language used is however stigmatising, “sex workers” and “prostitutes” are used interchangeably and the sex workers are referred to as “ladies”, at an apparent attempt at irony.  As well, the reference to "the killer disease" can perpetuate negative sterotypes about people living with HIV.

 

1. Trainees should first discuss the gender aspects of sex work (including reasons why women engage in sex work, the harassment sex workers experience at the hands of the police and communities, the difficulties in accessing health services and in ensuring that clients use condoms).

2. Is there information missing from this article? What questions are you left with ?

2. Is it appropriate to refer to "killer disease?"

 

Training Exercises:

1. Trainees could investigate unemployment in Swaziland and whether these statistics are gender disaggregated.  These could be included in the article to support the comments made concerning unemployment.

2. Review the below media monitoring on sex work. Collect clippings of media coverage on sex work and conduct your own media monitoring.

 

Other Training Resources:  

Gender and HIV/AIDS: A Training Manual for Southern African Media and Communicators, Gender Links and the AIDS Law Project, Chapter 10, www.genderlinks.org.za/docs/training/hiv-training-manual/hiv-ch10.pdf 

Sex Sells: Monitoring reporting on the Sex Industry through a gender lens

Related GL Commentaries
Sex workers unprotected from violence
Police wield a big stick over sex workers