ALRP
The Advocacy and Law Reform Programme:
This area of our work aims to give input to legislative reform processes on a national and local government level and challenge human rights violations. We strives to make optimum use of the media in order to raise public awareness and influence public and political attitudes towards sex work. We work closely with sex workers locally in relation to legal rights infringements and mobilise sex workers to take their cases forward in a collective manner in order to impact on changes to law. Central to the program is partnerships and alliance building. The aim is to create broad support for the different campaigns and use of public events to raise awareness around the concerns and challenges that sex workers face from civil society.
We advocate for sex work to be decriminalised in South Africa so that:
Sex workers human rights are respected, protected, promoted and fulfilled by members of society and the state to reduce high levels of violence, intimidation and harassment against sex workers at the hands of the police, their clients, their managers and intimate partners. Sex work is legally recognised as a legitimate form of work and entitles sex workers to the full range of labour law protections which employees are entitled to in other industries. Sex workers can access healthcare services and the criminal justice system without fear of prejudice because of their work.
Areas of work in the Advocacy and Law Reform unit:
Decriminalisation of sex work through a broad support base of partners (the Asijiki Coalition) Lobbying those in power and ensuring sex workers have access to platforms where sex work is discussed – nothing about us, without us! Empowering sex workers to speak on their own behalf Feminist education for sex workers Media outreach and monitoring of the media Media training for sex workers Court and Case monitoring, supporting sex workers who are in the criminal justice system and creating awareness in the public domain of cases involving sex work Direct Action to maintain the visibility of our campaigns
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To donate to ALRP – use “Decrim” as reference