Cape Town, South Africa - To highlight the physical and emotional violent impact of the criminalisation of the 250,000 plus sex workers in South Africa, SISONKE (the national sex workers' movement) will be hosting a series of events across five provinces leading up to the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers on Saturday.

SISONKE said the abuse and murders of sex workers continue to go unnoticed, with some even perpetrated by policemen. 

According to a recent study conducted by the Women's Legal Centre, 12% of sex workers in Cape Town reported having been raped by police, 46% threatened by police and 28% forced into sexual favours by police.

Even those cases that have been reported to the police often fall through the cracks of the criminal justice system, on the grounds that the victim is a sex worker, and therefore classified as a criminal.

The International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers, first celebrated in 2003, calls attention to hate crimes committed against sex workers as well as the need to remove the stigma and discrimination that is perpetuated by custom and prohibitionist laws that have made violence against sex workers acceptable.

'And that's why we call for the decriminalisation of sex work, which is proven to protect sex workers, and promote their rights and improve relationships between them and the police,' said Sally-Jean Shackleton, the Sex Workers' Education and Advocacy Task Force director.

Pana 16/12/2011