Religious Leaders: Perceptions
Causes of Sex Work
When discussing the causes of the sex trade, religious leaders identified poverty, moral degeneration and the disintegration of the family unit as the three main factors of this work. The Born Again pastor explained that “when the going gets hard, that is the easiest way to survive”. Additionally, he stated that “some have the attitude that they need to be on the streets” meaning, they see nothing wrong with being sex workers and do not believe that they participate in an immoral trade. He also mentioned that people do not want to make a commitment and would rather copy American culture and what they see on television. Furthermore, he explained that years ago Idi Amin and his regime killed many men, so the women had to raise their children as single mothers. As a result, families lost the normal pattern of life, and the children did not get to see a model of healthy, loving spousal relationships. In addition to poverty, the Catholic priest stated that many men do not want responsibility so they use sex workers as a way to please themselves without actually making a commitment. He also explained that a significant amount of men have challenges in their home and use sex workers as a way to “steam off”. Lastly, he pointed out that some foreigners within the country pick up sex workers when they feel the need, and this contributes to the demand. Similarly, the representative from the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council stated that people have copied the Western style of life and attributed the increase in the demand for sex to the surge in the number of tourists in Uganda. When speaking of the disintegration of the family unit, he explained that many youth have no interest in marriage anymore because they, especially the men, see it as a huge expenditure; additionally, the men expect the women to work, after seeing that women in the Western world have the ability to do so. In his opinion, dissociation from the extended family also contributes to the increase in sex workers. He explained that the extended family used to provide social securities to its members when they faced trying times, but because the importance of the extended family has been decreased, a woman can no longer go to her uncle or cousin for assistance.
Morality and Responsibility
When discussing guilt and morality, and the role that state and religious institutions should play in assisting these women, all three of the religious leaders gave very uniform answers. All agreed that the woman and her client share equal blame for their actions and are equally guilty of immorality. The Muslim representative went on to point out that the state also shares part of the blame because of its failure to meet the basic needs of the people. On a similar note, all three religious leaders believed that the state has the responsibility to find other jobs for these women and empower them with the skills and education they need to survive. The Catholic leader stated that the fact that people have to go to the streets to make ends meet indicates a failure of the state and he believes the government should create a welfare system to ensure that people can meet their basic needs. He further explained that he pays taxes on many items and he wonders where his tax money goes; he believes that people should receive a larger return from the government, especially those who are disadvantaged. The Muslim representative believed that the state has all the responsibility to assist sex workers because they have a “louder voice” and larger capacity to provide services and create jobs for them. The Born Again pastor also agreed with the idea that the state has the responsibility to create jobs for these women, but he acknowledged that currently, very few jobs exist and even university graduates have to scramble for employment. The Born Again pastor, Catholic Monsignor and Muslim leader all viewed the legalization of sex work as detrimental to society. The Born Again pastor asserted that legalizing sex work disregards the laws God has set forth for his people and does not build the self-esteem of sex workers. The Catholic Monsignor explained that legalizing sex work would create a permanent failed situation and expressed the concern that young people may be lured into this work if the state legalizes it. Furthermore, he explained that if legalized, his prophetic voice would cease, along with the feeling of shame, taboo and stigma attached to this work, and sex workers and their clients would operate openly and perform a disservice to society. The Muslim leader simply stated that his faith discourages sex work and encourages marriage. All three leaders agreed that religious institutions should assist this population by providing spiritual guidance. In addition to that, the Born Again pastor stated that religious institutions should sensitize this population to the dangers of sex work, give these women self-esteem and let them know they have a special importance in the eyes of God. He also said that religious institutions should assist these women by setting up institutions to give them skills. In addition to playing the role of the prophet, the Catholic Monsignor believed that religious institutions should assist these women by providing them with alternative means of sustenance.
Stigma and Discrimination
The religious leaders had different views about what sorts of rights sex workers have or should have and what constitutes stigma and discrimination. When asked to respond to the question “Many sex workers complain that they face human rights abuses such as rape, robbery, beatings, police brutality etc. while on the job. Do you agree with them, that their human rights are being violated?” the Born Again pastor declined to answer but simply stated that “the job is not defended in the Constitution, so there is no job security”. The Catholic Monsignor said that he does not subscribe to the premise that sex workers should do sex work, so he cannot begin to say that their rights should be protected. According to him, they put themselves in a situation where they will face the possibility of getting raped or robbed so the best option for them is to stop sex work and find alternative employment. On the other hand, the Muslim leader insisted that though sex workers are deviant from a societal and spiritual point of view, as human beings they have rights which should be protected. Furthermore, he asserted, before people go out to condemn them, they should find the reasons why these women do sex work in the first place and attempt to lift them out of that situation. When asked to respond to the question “Many sex workers complain that they face discrimination from health workers who sometimes refuse to treat them and blame them for causing AIDS. Additionally, they complain that police sometimes refuse to file their reports when they have been beaten or otherwise abused by clients. Do you agree with them, that this is discrimination?” the representatives of each faith again gave varying answers. The Born Again pastor believe that the attitude toward healthcare has changed completely due to the fact that almost all people have had a close relative who passed away because of HIV/AIDS. For him, discrimination from healthcare workers is a nonissue. He did not comment on whether police should or should not file the cases sex workers bring to their attention. The Catholic Monsignor believes that sex workers should be treated by health care workers regardless of how they fell ill and that police should file any cases the women bring to them. The Muslim leader agrees that health care workers should treat sex workers but thinks the police “may be on their line of duty” when they do not file the women’s cases because of the illegality of sex work.
Ministry
The religious leaders gave a range of responses when discussing the ways in which their institutions minister to sex workers and the services they provide to this population. The Born Again pastor explained that in addition to preaching to this population, his church sensitizes them to the health risks and dangers of this work and offers counseling services to those who want to be counseled. The Catholic Monsignor knew that his institution has a ministry which tries to reach out to sex workers, though he did not know its name or how successful it has been thus far. The Muslim leader stated that his institution has difficulty in identifying the sex worker population but explained that as long as the women come for spiritual guidance, they do not discriminate. Currently, the only service the Born Again pastor’s institution provides is offering a cup of porridge to people in need on Sunday mornings, though he used to work more closely with sex workers and refer them to organizations which aimed to rehabilitate them. He did not know whether these organizations still run programs for sex workers or how successful they had been in rehabilitating the women. The Catholic Monsignor explained that his institution has a desk concerning HIV and AIDS which disseminates information and handles training for priests, ministers and peer educators. He also mentioned that various hospitals have counseling centers and mobile units to treat people with HIV/AIDS. The Muslim leader informed me that due to lack of funding, his institution only has the ability to provide counseling for sex workers.
When discussing the causes of the sex trade, religious leaders identified poverty, moral degeneration and the disintegration of the family unit as the three main factors of this work. The Born Again pastor explained that “when the going gets hard, that is the easiest way to survive”. Additionally, he stated that “some have the attitude that they need to be on the streets” meaning, they see nothing wrong with being sex workers and do not believe that they participate in an immoral trade. He also mentioned that people do not want to make a commitment and would rather copy American culture and what they see on television. Furthermore, he explained that years ago Idi Amin and his regime killed many men, so the women had to raise their children as single mothers. As a result, families lost the normal pattern of life, and the children did not get to see a model of healthy, loving spousal relationships. In addition to poverty, the Catholic priest stated that many men do not want responsibility so they use sex workers as a way to please themselves without actually making a commitment. He also explained that a significant amount of men have challenges in their home and use sex workers as a way to “steam off”. Lastly, he pointed out that some foreigners within the country pick up sex workers when they feel the need, and this contributes to the demand. Similarly, the representative from the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council stated that people have copied the Western style of life and attributed the increase in the demand for sex to the surge in the number of tourists in Uganda. When speaking of the disintegration of the family unit, he explained that many youth have no interest in marriage anymore because they, especially the men, see it as a huge expenditure; additionally, the men expect the women to work, after seeing that women in the Western world have the ability to do so. In his opinion, dissociation from the extended family also contributes to the increase in sex workers. He explained that the extended family used to provide social securities to its members when they faced trying times, but because the importance of the extended family has been decreased, a woman can no longer go to her uncle or cousin for assistance.
Morality and Responsibility
When discussing guilt and morality, and the role that state and religious institutions should play in assisting these women, all three of the religious leaders gave very uniform answers. All agreed that the woman and her client share equal blame for their actions and are equally guilty of immorality. The Muslim representative went on to point out that the state also shares part of the blame because of its failure to meet the basic needs of the people. On a similar note, all three religious leaders believed that the state has the responsibility to find other jobs for these women and empower them with the skills and education they need to survive. The Catholic leader stated that the fact that people have to go to the streets to make ends meet indicates a failure of the state and he believes the government should create a welfare system to ensure that people can meet their basic needs. He further explained that he pays taxes on many items and he wonders where his tax money goes; he believes that people should receive a larger return from the government, especially those who are disadvantaged. The Muslim representative believed that the state has all the responsibility to assist sex workers because they have a “louder voice” and larger capacity to provide services and create jobs for them. The Born Again pastor also agreed with the idea that the state has the responsibility to create jobs for these women, but he acknowledged that currently, very few jobs exist and even university graduates have to scramble for employment. The Born Again pastor, Catholic Monsignor and Muslim leader all viewed the legalization of sex work as detrimental to society. The Born Again pastor asserted that legalizing sex work disregards the laws God has set forth for his people and does not build the self-esteem of sex workers. The Catholic Monsignor explained that legalizing sex work would create a permanent failed situation and expressed the concern that young people may be lured into this work if the state legalizes it. Furthermore, he explained that if legalized, his prophetic voice would cease, along with the feeling of shame, taboo and stigma attached to this work, and sex workers and their clients would operate openly and perform a disservice to society. The Muslim leader simply stated that his faith discourages sex work and encourages marriage. All three leaders agreed that religious institutions should assist this population by providing spiritual guidance. In addition to that, the Born Again pastor stated that religious institutions should sensitize this population to the dangers of sex work, give these women self-esteem and let them know they have a special importance in the eyes of God. He also said that religious institutions should assist these women by setting up institutions to give them skills. In addition to playing the role of the prophet, the Catholic Monsignor believed that religious institutions should assist these women by providing them with alternative means of sustenance.
Stigma and Discrimination
The religious leaders had different views about what sorts of rights sex workers have or should have and what constitutes stigma and discrimination. When asked to respond to the question “Many sex workers complain that they face human rights abuses such as rape, robbery, beatings, police brutality etc. while on the job. Do you agree with them, that their human rights are being violated?” the Born Again pastor declined to answer but simply stated that “the job is not defended in the Constitution, so there is no job security”. The Catholic Monsignor said that he does not subscribe to the premise that sex workers should do sex work, so he cannot begin to say that their rights should be protected. According to him, they put themselves in a situation where they will face the possibility of getting raped or robbed so the best option for them is to stop sex work and find alternative employment. On the other hand, the Muslim leader insisted that though sex workers are deviant from a societal and spiritual point of view, as human beings they have rights which should be protected. Furthermore, he asserted, before people go out to condemn them, they should find the reasons why these women do sex work in the first place and attempt to lift them out of that situation. When asked to respond to the question “Many sex workers complain that they face discrimination from health workers who sometimes refuse to treat them and blame them for causing AIDS. Additionally, they complain that police sometimes refuse to file their reports when they have been beaten or otherwise abused by clients. Do you agree with them, that this is discrimination?” the representatives of each faith again gave varying answers. The Born Again pastor believe that the attitude toward healthcare has changed completely due to the fact that almost all people have had a close relative who passed away because of HIV/AIDS. For him, discrimination from healthcare workers is a nonissue. He did not comment on whether police should or should not file the cases sex workers bring to their attention. The Catholic Monsignor believes that sex workers should be treated by health care workers regardless of how they fell ill and that police should file any cases the women bring to them. The Muslim leader agrees that health care workers should treat sex workers but thinks the police “may be on their line of duty” when they do not file the women’s cases because of the illegality of sex work.
Ministry
The religious leaders gave a range of responses when discussing the ways in which their institutions minister to sex workers and the services they provide to this population. The Born Again pastor explained that in addition to preaching to this population, his church sensitizes them to the health risks and dangers of this work and offers counseling services to those who want to be counseled. The Catholic Monsignor knew that his institution has a ministry which tries to reach out to sex workers, though he did not know its name or how successful it has been thus far. The Muslim leader stated that his institution has difficulty in identifying the sex worker population but explained that as long as the women come for spiritual guidance, they do not discriminate. Currently, the only service the Born Again pastor’s institution provides is offering a cup of porridge to people in need on Sunday mornings, though he used to work more closely with sex workers and refer them to organizations which aimed to rehabilitate them. He did not know whether these organizations still run programs for sex workers or how successful they had been in rehabilitating the women. The Catholic Monsignor explained that his institution has a desk concerning HIV and AIDS which disseminates information and handles training for priests, ministers and peer educators. He also mentioned that various hospitals have counseling centers and mobile units to treat people with HIV/AIDS. The Muslim leader informed me that due to lack of funding, his institution only has the ability to provide counseling for sex workers.