ESSAY 12: ANALYSE & ABSTRACT THE CONTINUOUS DEBATE REGARDING WOMEN ’S INVOLVEMENT IN SEX WORK
Sex work has been a criminal act since 1957 in SA. Sex workers in SA consist of the most vulnerable and
marginalised groups. Because they are involved in an illegal act, they cannot go to the police when they are
getting abused. They also get harassed by the police, because they are corrupt and want a cut of the money.
Sex workers have a stigma, people look down on them. That creates the question if decriminalisation is a
relevant topic. In SA, it’s been found that 4.3% of the female population has at least once sold their bodies.
There is also at any given time about 153000 permanent sex workers in SA.
In Criminology we have a continuing debate with two arguments. The first school of thought argues that
entry into sex work clearly and solely because of economic motivation stating that women made a rational
choice. The second school of thought states there is a correlation between entry into sex work and personal
victimisation. People who support this school of thought states there is a definite connection between
teenage runaways and sex work, where they come from dysfunctional families. The difference between
these two schools of thought is that the first school says it is a rational choice, and the second school argues
they were somewhat forced into their circumstances as they have limited choices.
There is a struggle to separate the link between sex work and drugs, and it can become a circular argument.
It is widely used that many do sex work in order to buy drugs. Others indicate that drug intoxication is
necessary for these women to engage in sex with the customer. If they aren’t intoxicated they can’t do it.
This is a circular relationship. Research on ‘women in prison’ shows that female criminals often have a
history of prostitution, but we are not sure which came first.
There are three broad pathways that women enter into sex work. The first is runaway teenagers, that
runaway as a result of dysfunctional family lives, that are recruited and controlled by pimps or start
independently to survive on the streets. The second pathway is women that are involved in traditionally
female occupations that offer opportunities that emphasise women’s sex role and attractiveness such as
modelling, massage parlour workers, and strippers. The last pathway consists of women who were first
addicted to drugs and then turn to prostitution to support their habit.
Reasons why women become involved in sex work differs depending on which discipline you are answering
from. There are a few reasons that the SA law commission supports. They say psychological explanations
emphasise sexual abuse as a child for these women. 80% of sex workers were sexually abused. Financially
it is one alternative to earning money as many women have big extended families they have to look after
and there is no tax on the money they earn. Research found that sex workers in the city earn about R4000 a
month, where they have to get at least 20 clients a week. Sex workers in rural areas earn R200 a week
where they have to service at least 10 clients a week.
Political analysists argue that the lack of viable economic choices for women force them to select sex work
as an option in order to survive or maintain economic independence. Unskilled or low-skilled women argue
that no other occupation has the same potential income of sex work. In SA research shows that 70-80% of
sex workers did other jobs before prostitution, but are paid 3-5 times more in sex work than their other jobs.
There is also a disparity in race where white sex workers make more than black sex workers. Some sex
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