04 Jul 2024

Sex workers in Botswana face high levels of violence, stigma, discrimination and other human rights violations.

Sesonke officer, Ms Shalom Sekgoma said numerous studies indicate a high level of violence towards sex workers, and linkages have been made between laws that criminalise sex work and increased vulnerability to violence.

Ms Sekgoma was speaking during a reciprocal exchange workshop between Mbewe Legal Practice and Molly Cohen of The Urban Justice Centre Sex Workers Project (New York, USA), in Gaborone recently.

She further said sex workers experienced violence which ranged from blatant physical and sexual violence to social stigma, discrimination, intimidation, coercion and harassment, adding that often, the perpetrators were clients, pimps and hostel owners, including family and community members.

“Even law enforcement officers are involved, and in some cases they increase violence rather than protect sex workers from it,” she said.

She said lack of legal recognition and protection leaves them vulnerable to exploitation, violence, and health risks of contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Ms Sekgoma said according to the Hands Off study, 66 per cent of sex workers have experienced violence in the past 12 months.

She said in Botswana, violence takes different forms and was perpetrated by different actors, meaning that sex workers were confronted with emotional, physical, sexual and economic violence on a regular basis.

She indicated that studies have revealed that law enforcement workers were major perpetrators of violence against sex workers in Botswana.

She said studies revealed that the majority of sex workers, about 73 per cent experienced discrimination in the past 12 months.

“More than half, 55 per cent experienced being called names. Words like me-nice are often used to humiliate them,” she said .She also added that 42 per cent of sex workers were blackmailed in the past year, saying that showed that sex workers were confronted with emotional violence from the community on a regular basis.

She, therefore, said to avoid violence, gossip and humiliation, sex workers preferred keeping their work secret.

Moreover, Ms Sekgoma said in Gaborone, gangs assaulted and attacked sex workers while at work.

She highlighted that it was assumed that the attacks partly accounted for the physical were 26 per cent while sexual violence was 13 per cent and was perpetrated by community members.

Ms Sekgoma also said sex workers experienced physical and sexual violence, adding that 12 per cent were perpetrated by family members, friends and intimate partners.

She further said according to the Hands Off study, 48 per cent of respondents were arrested in the past twelve months.

“On average, specific grounds for arrest of which 43 per cent was on the basis of being a sex worker, 41 per cent was getting caught in a police raid, 33 per cent for carrying a condom and 27 per cent was for soliciting clients on the street” she said.

She said during arrest, 35 per cent of the female sex workers experienced physical violence, 28 per cent were beaten, 28 per cent had their money stolen, whereas 26 per cent of sex workers were forced into sex during arrest.

Ms Sekgoma said Sesonke was, therefore, calling for safety and wellbeing of sex workers in Botswana. She urged government to decriminalise activities associated with sex work, to adopt supportive laws and to develop preventative and protective services, care and support. Ends