LDC
Our vision:
A South Africa where sex work is decriminalized and sex workers are legally empowered to exercise their rights to challenge stigma, discrimination, violence and persecution.
We aim to empower sex workers by:
Provision of holistic legal services, including individual legal advice, representation, and support and group impact litigation that challenges the criminal laws and advances the rights of sex workers. Further we aim to empower sex workers by creating an enabling legal environment within which sex workers will be able to access fair and non-judgmental legal services.
Our Services:
Peer- Based Paralegals
Access to trained paralegals who reach sex workers where they work and
live on outreach. Paralegals are trained to provide basic legal advice,
collect data of human rights violations and conduct
referrals where necessary.
Legal Advice
We provide legal advice and assistance to sex workers who
wish to exercise their rights and challenge
human rights violations
that they have experienced.
Legal Representation and Court Support
Our attorney and candidate attorney is available to represent
sex workers in court. Our paralegals provide court support
to sex workers where they appear in court
either as a complainant or defendant.
Strategic Impact Litigation
We work in collaboration with a range of partners to conduct
group litigation on behalf of sex workers to challenge the human rights
violations that they experience, develop and increase the legal jurisprudence
on sex work, and to challenge the criminalisation of sex work
Referrals
We work in collaboration with a range of different partners to
whom we refer cases of psychosocial support, health cases, etc.
Education and Training
We conduct legal education and rights based training with sex workers
and partners to increase their knowledge regarding rights and legal remedies.
24hr Legal Helpline – 076 311 2543
Our paralegals manage a 24hr legal helpline to assist sex workers with legal advice.
