At What Point Should We Start calling It Sex-Work or Prostitution?
Sex work is the oldest profession in the world, it is high time the world stopped pretending like it does not exist, it literally lives amongst us.
Many people are raised with the image of sex workers being women in skimpy clothing standing on the street corners waiting to be picked up by men, though that does happen it is important to note that in this modern society, sex workers wear different hats, and it seems sex work lives and thrives right in the eyes of South Africans.
SEX AND SEX WORK
The rise of fancy terms for sex work makes it hard to blur the line between sex and sex work. There are sugar babies who get money from sugar daddies in exchange for “sexual favors”. There are brothels filled with strippers who at an extra price do not mind giving out “extras” and there are even massage parlors that offer a “happy ending”. Not to forget the demand for “mavuso” post-sex.
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Section 20 (1) (a A) of the Sexual offence Act 32 of 1957 states that anyone who has carnal intercourse or any act of indecency in exchange for a reward is guilty and the above scenarios should also be a criminal offence. How can sex work be illegal whilst one can easily find brothels? Sex work is advertised in South Africa.
People are still selling sex with shows like This Body Works For Me showing that sex work exists, and it does not only put food on the table but it affords people lavish lifestyles. This Body Works For Me is a reality show on Showmax that covers the lives of seven women who are making it in the adult entertainment industry, none of these women are charged but those women on the street corners are always in and out of prison because it is “sex work” and it is “illegal”.
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The criminalization of sex work in South Africa does not only lead to sex workers being violated and not being able to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases but it disables them from getting help from the police or medical advice should things go wrong in their profession. If sex work gets decriminalized and regulated, the chances of finding and rescuing nonconsenting sex workers and underaged sex workers will be raised. The decriminalization of sex workers will help the government to regulate and improve the working conditions of sex workers.