Izwi Lethu: Our Voice, Issue 11, 2016

IZWI LETHU: OUR VOICE

Issue 11

Izwi Lethu

Our Voice

2016: Issue 11 A NEWSLETTER BY SEX WORKERS FOR SEX WORKERS

Editor’s Note

Photo Feature

by Tanaka,

by Amy,

Editor-in-Chief

Dear Reader, Finally the long awaited 21st International AIDS Conference was successfully held for the second time in history and for a whole week in Durban, South Africa. This was from the 18th to the 22nd of July 2016. This conference was massive and saw around eighteen thousand delegates from across the globe in attendance.

In this month’s edition, the Izwi Lethu team will be covering various aspects of this prestigious conference. These feature stories range from KG’s heart to heart with SA-born and internationally acclaimed actress, Charlize Theron to the ASIJIKI Award presented to the legendary singer Sir Elton John for his remarkable contributions towards humanity.

Contributing Editor

wonderful being part of this great and unique work. Please get me right. I am not forsaking my lovely readers. I just need to broaden my horizons in other spaces, too. You will be hearing from me from time to time and that’s a promise.

Til we meet again.

Love, Tanaka

AIDS 2016 Condom Courture This dress and headpiece that was displayed at the AIDS 2016 conference was made entirely of condoms.

On a “not so glamorous” note, this is my last issue as editor for the Izwi Lethu publication. It has been Sisonke National Co-ordinator: Kholi Assistant National Co-ordinator: Pamela Editor in Chief: Tanaka Managing Editor: Greta

Contributing Editor: Kagee Contributing Editor: Clara Contributing Editor: Linda Contributing Editor: Amy

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A Promise from a Golden Star by

Kagee, Contributing Editor

I looked around and I was surrounded by powerful and high profile people at the AIDS 2016 conference. Sisonke and SWEAT had given me and others the chance to attend. Durban was packed to capacity. Sex workers were in the middle of everyone’s mouth. It was the first time we were welcomed onto such a high level stage. Newspapers were out for the kill about sex workers in the AIDS conference. One newspaper wrote, “Sex workers cashin in Durban’’.

Our focus was the need to call for the decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa and globally. We made sure that our forces were in place to speak about the impact of the criminalisation of sex work. The opening ceremony was a great show case. I wanted to speak to many media houses to make sure that our voices were heard.

We could not miss Deputy Minister of Justice John Jeffery present an update on sex work in South Africa. As the Minister delivered his presentation in

the auditorium, he told sex workers to put down their red umbrellas and posters that advocated for the decriminalisation of sex work. The situation was tense because some of the sex workers refused to put down their umbrellas and posters. I lifted my poster, too. On it was written “criminalisation kills sex workers”.

The minister pointed at me and told me that he would not be pushed into saying something that he does not want to say. I did not mean to be disrespectful, but I could not miss the chance to engage with a minister on an international stage.

Later that evening on the main stage, the powerful and famous actress Charlize Theron spoke. She, too, said little in her presentation about sex work.

We left the conference with broken hearts. Charlize Theron was born in our country. She could have used the chance to speak about the challenges sex workers face in South Africa.

Embrace the conference | Actress Charlize Theron embraces Izwi Lethu Contributing Editor Kagee at the 2016 AIDS Conference.

I slept with a knife in my heart as disappointment filled my whole body.

All I wanted was to hear that magic word ‘’DECRIM’’.

I pulled up my courage the next day and held my head up to attend the other sessions in the conference. I was at the sex workers networking zone when I saw a huge crowd with beefed up guards and lots of cameras, people taking pictures with all types of devices. I was a bit confused about who was coming to our zone. It was her.

She had short blonde hair and no make-up on, and she was tall. She looked like an angel from God. I knew that I needed to say something to her or I would miss the opportunity. She walked right to me as if she wanted to deliver a message.

Emotions and excitement ran into my mind the minute she approached me.

We were face to face. I could smell her perfume. Words rolled out of my mouth, and I told her about the disappointments and our expectations.

In her speech she said little about sex workers. I spoke to her in Afrikaans as I could not have words in English at that moment. She held both of my hands and whispered, “I know how you feel. You will make me cry.”

I looked at her eyes, and I just could not hold back my tears. She gave me a long hug with both arms. She continued talking to me, “I am aware that I have said little about all of you guys, but I will do anything to help all women. You guys are close to my heart.”

She left the zone. I could not believe what had just happened to me.

Everyone was asking me what she said.

I went straight to Sally Shackleton, an executive director at SWEAT and told her. She gave me a motherly hug. All eyes were on me. I told her jokingly that I needed a glass of wine. She replied, “No, it is still working hours.

Take a seat, breath, and continue doing your good work.”

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Presentation of the Asijiki Award for Courage and Initiative to Sir Elton John and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. by

Pamela, Contributing Editor

The Sisonke Sex Worker Movement and Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work in South Africa presented Sir Elton John and the Elton John AIDS Foundation with the Asijiki Award for Courage and Initiative at the 2016 International AIDS conference. This award recognises unwavering and outspoken public advocates for their commitment to sex workers’ rights.

Asijiki is a broad-based advocacy coalition that brings together sex workers and human rights activist to advocate for agitation on sex worker human rights and specifically for the decriminalisation of sex work. Asijiki is the isiZulu term for “no turning back”.

The Asijiki Award for Courage and Initiative allows us a moment to step back and recognise our allies, show our

appreciation for their bold work towards our common cause, and share with others our appreciation of efforts.

We proudly presented this inaugural award to Sir Elton John and the Elton John AIDS Foundation for their enduring public support of sex workers’ rights. The award is intended to acknowledge those whose peers often take a less brave stance and are overall under-recognised for their advocacy specifically on issues of sex work. We were particularly inspired by Elton John and the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s steadfast and public support of Amnesty International in their position on the decriminalisation of sex work.

We were proud to present this award, and we will continue to move forward fearlessly and vigorously towards our vision of a world where sex workers’ rights are safe guarded and all sex workers are treated with dignity and respect.

The Asijiki Award at AIDS 2016 | Asijiki Award for Courage and Initiative: The Sisonke Sex Worker Movement and the Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work in South Africa present Sir Elton John with the Asijiki Award at the 2016 AIDS Conference.

We salute our allies and supporters, and urge them to capitalise on the momentum that the AIDS conference has catalysed on the urgent need for the decriminalisation of sex work.

Evening Make-up Tips from Lady Mya

by Mya

When making over during the day, one needs to maintain a certain level of subtleness. Meaning it is unnecessary to put on too much make up in broad day light. Nonetheless, one can be as dramatic in the evening as one wants for it is a requirement. This is the time where subtleness with make-up will not work in your favour.

There are two points of focus that stand out especially at night. These are eyes and lips as they are easily noticed. One rule: You can only focus

on either one of the two. It becomes a catastrophe if one has made over eyes and also has a screaming color of lipstick on.

If you decide to accentuate the eyes, you can play with your liners, shadows, and mascara until you drop. On the lips you can either use a translucent gloss or light lipstick which is almost the shade of your lips. When going the lip route you can use bold colors to gothic but take it easy on the eyes. You can put on mascara and use light liners but

definitely do not use eye shadow.

The hairstyles that best complement evening make up are either jaw-line length bobs or a high bun. Add a pair of dangling earrings and believe me it will be impossible not to notice you.

Keep looking beautiful!

Until the next edition, Miss Mya

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MY MIRACLE

by Amy, Contributing Editor

It was 16:30 on Friday the 15th of July 2016. I was standing at the South African Airways help desk. I had missed my flight to Durban. I was supposed to be attending the 21st international AIDS conference in Durban the next day. It is the second to be hosted in South Africa; 18000 delegates were invited from around the globe including myself. I was invited to attend the pre-conference and the conference itself to make presentations in a few sessions.

When I was told that all the flights were fully booked and the next available flights were on Monday the 18th of July, I felt like the world was coming to an end. I could not afford to miss my pre-conference sessions, let alone spend two nights at the airport.

As I was picking up my luggage, I overheard a lady standing next to me saying that she had also missed her flight to Durban. Out of desperation I approached the stranger. She was a middle aged woman dressed in blue jeans, trainers, and a tracksuit top. She was sweating buckets. She revealed that she was attending the conference too. I suggested we find a place to sit and gather our thoughts; we came to a solution and that was to take the bus to Durban. It turned out to be the best decision at the time.

We went to the information desk to get information on where we could find the bus terminal. Luckily it was just across the street in the next terminal building. We bought our tickets then waited for the bus to arrive.

The bus trip was supposed to be 6 hours, but it turned out to be 8 hours because we kept making stops on the way. We eventually arrived in Durban at 4:30am on Saturday, and it was really cold. We took a maxi-taxi from the bus terminal to the registration site. On arrival, we found a bathroom to freshen up then waited for the registration office to open. At 6:00am the office opened, and we went

Photo: Amy

through the registration process.

By now I was struggling to stay awake. I was exhausted.

My companion and I had to part ways. I took a shuttle to my hotel and I jumped into the shower.

The positive leadership session was starting at 8:30am so I had to rush to the conference center. This is where I was reunited with my travel buddy Annie. She was dressed in a beautiful black and white ladies suit, she looked amazing. As soon as she saw me she jumped up and down and shouted “here is my miracle”.

I had to ask why and naturally everyone else wanted to know too.

Annie is from Malawi; she has never travelled to South Africa before.

When she missed her flight, she was told to pray for a miracle as there was no other way to get to Durban.

I became that miracle when I approached her. She was very distraught, and I became her savior when I came up with a plan to take a

bus to Durban.

For the remainder of the conference, Annie and I met occasionally and we exchanged contact details. I sat through a few of her presentations.

In Malawi she works for a program which assists people living and affected by HIV/AIDS, mainly young girls and women. She does incredible work for her program.

Miracles come in all shapes and forms. Many people in Malawi think of Annie as their miracle because of the amazing work she does. I became her miracle when I helped her in a very desperate situation. Thinking about it now I become very emotional because when Annie jumped up and down shouting out that I was her miracle, it was not clear to me how much I had done for her and her country by helping her get to the conference. When was the last time someone called you their miracle?

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Ask Dear Mastoep

by Dear

Mastoep

Dear Mastoep,

Dear Confused,

I am 34 and a sex worker. I have worked in a hotel for the past three years. I had a fight with one of the girls and was kicked out of the hotel. I tried to solve the misunderstanding with the manager but I could not reach him. As security guards do not allow me to enter the hotel, I am now staying with a client. Kindly advise me what I must do to solve this matter.

I turned to my friends at the Women’s Legal Centre for help on your question. They told me that the Sexual Offences Act is does not specifically refer to cyber marketing networks; however one can be charged with S19(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 1957 makes it a crime to entice or solicit in a public place for “immoral “ purposes or exhibit oneself in public in “indecent dress” and it could well be argued that the internet is a public domain .

The 2007 act amended it so that the offence can only be committed by persons over the age of 18 . The penalty was originally a fine up to R400 or imprisonment for up to two years or both now the fine has been increased.

Sincerely, Locked Out Dear Locked Out Be glad that you have a good client that has taken you in but remember that is a client and you also don’t then want to provide free services because he is providing you with a roof over your head.

I would say if you really want to go back to that hotel then ask for the number of the owner and see if you can chat to owner and get your room back otherwise go to another hotel. The benefits are you will be the new girl and you will make more money. If you still have your things at the hotel then I would suggest you call Women’s Legal Centre for assistance to get your things back otherwise, find a new place to work.

Regards, Mastoep Dear MaStoep, I am a young female sex worker who accesses clients on the internet. I am fully aware that all aspects of sex work are criminalized in this country. However, facilitators or owners of the platforms we advertise on do not get questioned on their role in this industry and yet we get entrapped by law enforcers every now and then of which I believe it’s unfair.

Would you know what the legislative bill stipulates regarding these cyber marketing networks?

Confused.

Regards, Mastoep Dear Mastoep, I am a sex worker living in the East Rand. Last weekend a young girl came into the house that we live and work at.

She came in from the Free State with her friends who left her here. She is underage and wants to go back home.

The problem is that the owner takes the money we make so she has no money to go back. How can we help her without making the owner of the house angry?

Sisonke, Women’s Legal Centre, Centre for Positive Care or SWEAT or other organisations to come and get her and assist her. Does the owner know that she is underage and wants to leave? If he does and he is still keeping her, then maybe we should also consider calling the Police to come in and assist. Also if the owner is violent or connected to gangs or things like that then we should call the police as you also do not want him to take action against you and the others once he realises that the girl has been removed.

I would also recommend that you call the Helpline or Please call me number so that we can get more information to assist not only the young girl but all of you, especially if you say that the owner is taking your money. You are doing sex work to earn money and support yourselves and others, so it is not right for the owner to take all or the big cut of your money.

Please call the Helpline on 0800 60 60 60 or the Please Call me on 0713577632 or the Women's Legal Centre Helpline on 0603774439.

Please call on supportive organisations to get some assistance.

Mastoep

Concerned Dear concerned East Rand This is indeed a very sad situation that you and others are faced with and many thanks for having the courage to seek for advice. It is important for us, to remember that we want sex work to be seen as work and so we don’t want people who are underage or are being forced and it sounds like this young girl is experiencing both.

There are some things to think about, one is if the girl is allowed to move around the area and we can organise for

Send your questions! | Dear Mastoep is now on Facebook! Connect with her at Maggie Mastoep or email her at mastoep@gmail.com

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Doctors for Life Protest against the Decriminalization of Sex Work

by Tanaka, Contributing Editor

AIDS 2016 protesting | Activists at the 2016 AIDS Conference in Durban (Left). Sex worker rights activists rush to counter the Doctors for Life (Right).

It is almost impossible to talk about sex work without talking about morality.

This however needs to be addressed with utmost caution. One first needs to define morality and furthermore, explain the grounds of morality. One thing is for certain, there is bound to be conflict as what one person would deem immoral could be another’s morality.

Wednesday the 20th of July, which marked the 3rd day into the 21st International AIDS Conference, saw a protest orchestrated by Doctors for Life.

This was aimed at denouncing the call for the decriminalisation of sex work. Their arguments were based on religious values and unfounded statements which were totally baseless and intellectually bankrupt to have been drafted by “doctors”.

We were minding our business in the Global Village at the SWEAT stand, patiently waiting for Sir Elton John and the Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa to visit us. A colleague from Scotland came running to us with a beautifully designed flyer with these words printed on it: “If you

are female, jobless, homeless and hungry, Sisonke and SWEAT have a job for you.

Become a prostitute!” She alerted us that there were protestors outside who were anti-decrim and were handing out these flyers and one that one should not be seen wearing a pro-sex work t-shirts.

All members of the Global Network of Sex Workers took their red umbrellas and went out to counter these protesters.

There were now two fronts outside the Hilton Hotel with conflicting messages.

Thankfully this did not end in a catastrophe as one group could not stand the heat—and that was definitely not the sex workers.

First of all, there were no women among these protesters and yet they were voicing concerns on the dignity of women. Furthermore, they claimed that decriminalising sex work would promote pimps and traffickers. I have witnessed sex workers who feared to report cases of trafficking and abuse by clients and pimps because they feared second victimisation under the criminalised system as they too

are labeled as criminals. If one looks at a decriminalised system, sex workers will be free to report such cases without fear.

These so called activists for “human dignity” accuse Sisonke and SWEAT of promoting and recruiting females to become “prostitutes”. Here is a breakdown for those who agree with Doctors for Life: SWEAT as an organization that works with sex workers in terms of health and human rights and Sisonke, the only national sex workers’ movement in South Africa, do not recruit women to become “prostitutes”. These two entities ensure that adults of any gender (18 years and older) who choose to engage in sex work are able to access services as any other citizens without being discriminated against.

Here’s a piece of advice to the Doctors for Life: Please change your name to something else. You can’t claim to be entities “for life” when you are in support of a system that has seen many sex workers perish around the globe without justice being served.

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AIDS Conference Quilt by

Clara, Contributing Editor

We were really hungry to start the Quilt for the AIDS conference that took place in Durban in July 2016.

It was the second time South Africa held the AIDS conference. The quilt was made by Sisonke members with the help of Elsa Oliveira and Quinten Williams. We made the quilt of events that happened way back before 2000 to today within two days.

Quilts can be made for activism.

We can also use quilts to remember our loved ones. We made four pieces to come up with one quilt, keeping in mind that if something is connected to life it makes you feel something. In the first piece we put a river that runs from lack of knowledge to knowledge. The sign of LGBTI shows what people thought about the pandemic when it started; they thought that gays and lesbians were the ones who brought the disease. The many graves show the high number of our dear ones we lost at that time. The hut is where those affected with disease were isolated and stayed indoors where other people could not see them.

The community did not want to mix with those affected so they stayed away. A woman in prison shows how police targeted sex workers, and how we were always arrested for being suspected that we were the ones who were spreading the disease. ARVs were too expensive during that time.

Our second quilt shows what life was like from 2000 to 2006 in South Africa. Tanaka drew a woman lying in a hospital bed and the nurse telling her that she is not the one who gave her the HIV. The other drawing was done by me. It features a sex worker asking to be treated for STI and the nurse telling her to go and bring her partner, but where will she get a partner when it was the condom that broke with a client and she was infected. Although there were condoms, still there was public

health discrimination at the that time. Sisonke was formed as you can see in our second quilt, which is an organization for sex workers by other sex workers.

The sun in the third quilt shows hope for sex workers. In this quilt we put steps going up that shows improvement. Sex workers went marching, fighting for our rights as people. More Peer Educators were employed to reach out to many sex workers. We put a mobile vehicle on the quilt because Wits RHI opened Esselen Clinic during that period and provided a mobile clinic assisting in testing sex workers who did not go to the clinic for testing. The tree with the leaves shows life, representing the partnering of Sisonke and other organisations. The number of Peer Educators increased who helped other sex workers to have more information about the pandemic.

Forward we go is in our final quilt.

The participants who were making the quilt decided to end the quilt with a scale and words from Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa because we are now fighting for the decriminalisation of sex work and also the sensitisation. That is why we wrote I JOB YI JOB and quotes Deputy President Ramaphosa: "Sex work is essentially work."

Advocacy Quilts | The Sisonke and HIV Timeline Quilts were made to tell the story of the important events and issues around sex work and HIV that happened from before 2000 up until today.

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Tamara

by Linda, Contributing Editor

I met Tamara in Plastic View in Pretoria East last year, and we became friends. Tamara was a beautiful married woman with two kids when I meet her, and I want to tell you her story because it can help other married women to help themselves by finding jobs so that if their husbands leave them, they won’t suffer too much. I want to tell you what Tamara told me about her life: After 6 years of marriage, Tamara’s husband became promiscuous; he started drinking a lot, sleeping with different women, and sometimes not sleeping at home. She saw her husband’s behaviour and decided to go to the clinic to get an HIV test.

That’s when she discovered that she was HIV positive. She was so stressed knowing that her husband was the one who gave her the disease.

After she told him about her status, he ran away from their marital home, leaving her with two kids to look after. She had no source of income and did not know what to do with life.

One day she was walking in the street trying to find piece jobs to feed her two kids. She met one guy who asked her to sleep with him for money because she was beautiful.

She refused because she did not know anything about ‘’money for sex’’. The following day she met another guy who also asked her the same question, but she refused again. One day she had nothing to feed her kids, and she started thinking about those guys who wanted to give her money. After thinking long and hard, she went out to find piece jobs the following morning, but deep inside she told herself that if any other man asked her for sex, then she was going to do it. From that day that’s how she started sex work.

As a sex worker she was able to feed and buy clothes for herself and her

Photos: Linda kids. After sometime she became sick and went back to the clinic where they checked her CD4 count. It was very low, and they gave her ARVs. Now she is fit again and able to take care of her kids working as a sex worker. She also got herself a new boyfriend who loves her and the kids so much.

Last month they went to Mozambique to see his family.

I cannot wait to see Tamara again as I know that she will be telling me all about her trip in Mozambique.

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Did You Know

by Women's

Legal Centre

Izwi Lethu is now featuring the “Did You Know” column, written by the Women’s Legal Centre (WLC).

The WLC was formed in 1998 by a group of women lawyers. It is a non profit law centre that seeks to achieve equality for women, particularly black women, through impact based litigation, the provision of free legal advice to women, support for advocacy campaigns, and the provision of training that ensures that people know and understand the impact of the judgments of the courts around women’s rights.

During 2009, the WLC in partnership with SWEAT and Sisonke formed the Sex Work Project. The aim of the project was three fold:  Document the experiences of sex workers in relation to human rights abuses;  Provide legal advice and representation to sex workers;  Conduct strategic impact litigation that will hold the state accountable for the abuses that sex workers experience with the aim of achieving decriminalisation of sex work.

DID YOU KNOW: Despite being considered one of the oldest professions in the world , sex workers are probably one of the most misunderstood people in the world.

Many nations have strict laws that punish those in the sex industry, criminalising an activity that remains in constant demand regardless of its legal status.

We have offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

24 hours helpline: 060 377 4439 wlce.co.za

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Guest Column: We are the generation that will end HIV

by Nyaradzo

Mutanha

“I feel that PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) came late. I am already HIV positive,” said Lisa, a sex worker in Hillbrow (her name has been changed for confidentiality purposes). “PrEP has empowered me, condoms bursting is the least of my worries now,” said Bongiwe, another sex worker in Hillbrow. “We have been speaking about PrEP and UTT (Universal Test and Treat) to sex workers in Ekurhuleni, they are very interested, we are developing a database for them so that Esselen street clinic mobile van can bring PrEP to them,” reports Con, Ekurhuleni Team Leader, Sex Workers Project, Centre for Positive Care.

PrEP and UTT was launched on the 1st of June 2016 by implementing partners and theDepartment of Health with the theme that we are the generation that will end HIV. Each implementing partner celebrated the launch in its own way but with most sites conducting a Risk Reduction workshop for sex workers in their sites. Esselen Street and Sediba Hope Clinics launched PrEP and UTT in style, spending the day with sex workers and engaging them on PrEP and UTT and allowing a question and answer session before having a light meal.

We encourage all sex workers to come to the clinic and speak to a counselor or nurse about PrEP and UTT. PrEP if taken consistently, can reduce the chances of acquiring HIV by 90%.

Sex workers still need to use condoms so as to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies and STIs. Those that are HIV positive can be initiated on ARVs at any CD4 count. Our focus has moved from CD4 count to a focus on viral load.

We are aiming for an undetectable viral loads in all our HIV positive patients. Sex workers need to adhere to their medication and also eat healthy food, drink water, rest well, reduce beer intake, and exercise.

We believe that if we implement these things, we are the generation that will end HIV. Our PE (Peer Educators) have been extensively trained to recruit and provide health talks on PrEP and UTT. The programme has also engaged with other partners and trained their PEs and other key staff on PrEP and UTT. In June 2016, Esselen Street Clinic initiated 19 sex workers on PrEP while Sediba Hope initiated 10. In July 2016, Esselen

Street Clinic initiated 23 sex workers while Sediba Hope initiated 10.

Initiations in Ekurhuleni have not commenced yet due to operational challenges and the programme is engaging the Department of Health to solve the challenge.

Be on the look out of our Mobile Van in the City of Johannesburg. We have started offering comprehensive services including PrEP and UTT through the DREAMS PEPFAR innovation grant to Region A (Diepsloot and Midrand), Region D (parts of Soweto), Region E (Alexandra and Orange Grove) and Region G (Areas around Orange Farm). Spread the word! Also be on the look out for our Creative Space, where we also speak extensively about PrEP and UTT. We are indeed the generation that will end HIV.

Duduzile Ndlovu is a PhD Fellow at the African Centre for Migration & Society at the University of the Witwatersrand.

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Swaziland Photo Series by

Kagee, Contributing Editor

Two Sisonke representatives and Dianne Massawe of SWEAT went to Swaziland to engage in a learning and sharing event. Sisonke and SWEAT were invited by an organization called Health Communication Capacity Collaborative. A group of sex workers wanted our assistance in forming a movement similar to Sisonke. We presented lots of ideas to three groups of sex workers.

Clockwise from left: Peer Educator | Peer Educator from the KaMhlaba Wellness Project that works with sex workers in making sure that they distribute condom and do health talks in hot spots.

Police Office | Swaziland police head office. Police here have a good policy with sex workers: “If we can’t see you doing sex work, we won’t arrest you.” Sex work is still criminalized in Swaziland.

Capital city | Construction in Mbabane from the hotel.

Clinic | Sex worker friendly clinic in Swaziland.

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Kholi's Desk

by Kholi, Contributing Editor

Dear Reader, Sisonke members and other sex workers had the privilege to attend the African Sex Workers Alliance (ASWA) Pre-AIDS Conference hosted by ASWA and the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP). We welcomed sex workers from around the world and made them feel at home. It was a great opportunity and pleasure for us to host sex workers from different countries and exciting to exchange information on sex work. Sisonke as national coordinator was given a platform to welcome everyone. The purpose of the pre-conference was to provide sex workers with an opportunity to meet other sex workers as well as to review the conference programme and identify an advocacy strategy.

Some exciting news is that the Sisonke National Coordinator was offered an opportunity to co-chair with the Deputy Minister of Social Development a session at the International AIDS Conference, “We are serious about addressing the needs of sex workers in SA”.

Another panel Sisonke National Coordinator took part in was “Doing the Right Thing in the Right Ways- Policy Legal and Ethical challenges in Delivering Comprehensive Treatment and Prevention services for Key Populations”.

Sex workers presence at the Conference was very visible, and we were very supportive of each other’s activities. It was an exciting moment to remember!

Until next time, Kholi

Sisonke Sex Worker Movement

Sisonke Sex Worker Movement, lauched in 2003, is South Africa’s only sex worker movement run by sex workers for sex workers. Sisonke aims to unite sex workers, improve living and working conditions, fight for equal access to rights, and advocate for the deciminalisation of sex work in South Africa.

Izwi Lethu is a collaboration between Sisonke Sex Workers Movement and ACMS’s MoVE Project.

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