The Larger Debate
As sex work has become a prominent issue worldwide, policy makers, government officials, religious leaders and the general public have long debated the proper status of sex work within society. Outlined below are some of the pros and cons of the decriminalization of sex work.
In favor of decriminalization
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Against decriminalization
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Sex Work in Kampala
Currently, the law in Uganda prohibits sex work. Section 136(1) of the Penal Code Act states, “‘Every person who knowingly lives wholly or in part on the earnings of prostitution and every person who in any place solicits or importunes for immoral purposes commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for seven years’”.
This has several implications for the health and well-being of sex workers. First, sex workers are largely left out of HIV prevention policies and those who do seek services for the prevention or treatment of the virus often face discrimination and abuse from health workers. In fact, according to the director of a human rights advocacy group in Kampala*, health care providers fear associating themselves with sex workers, and sometimes openly attack those who test positive and blame them for spreading HIV. The fact that Uganda prohibits sex work also leads to the legal marginalization of these women. When clients beat, rape, rob, or leave sex workers without paying for their services, which often occurs, the women have nowhere to go, no way to recover their losses and no one to report these injustices to. In fact, police officers often harass or act violently toward sex workers. In one study conducted in Uganda, more than half of the sex workers interviewed had faced police brutality, violence, bribery or extortion, and requests for sexual services or rape. The sex workers in my study, (all female)* also reported that police often arrest them, but let their clients go free. Current government policies and the stigma female sex workers face create many challenges in terms of their health and well being.
Though illegal in Uganda, sex work does occur and politicians and other people in positions of power can no longer afford to ignore this sector of society. To do so would be extremely dangerous and detrimental to society because female sex workers in Uganda have one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. A study funded by the World Bank and the United Nations Population Fund found that 37.2 percent of Ugandan female sex workers are HIV positive, and this population accounts for 15.7 percent of all infections in Uganda. In order to rectify this situation, the government, religious institutions and NGOs must start to address the high rates of HIV among these women as well as the structural problems and inequalities which initially led them to this profession.
This has several implications for the health and well-being of sex workers. First, sex workers are largely left out of HIV prevention policies and those who do seek services for the prevention or treatment of the virus often face discrimination and abuse from health workers. In fact, according to the director of a human rights advocacy group in Kampala*, health care providers fear associating themselves with sex workers, and sometimes openly attack those who test positive and blame them for spreading HIV. The fact that Uganda prohibits sex work also leads to the legal marginalization of these women. When clients beat, rape, rob, or leave sex workers without paying for their services, which often occurs, the women have nowhere to go, no way to recover their losses and no one to report these injustices to. In fact, police officers often harass or act violently toward sex workers. In one study conducted in Uganda, more than half of the sex workers interviewed had faced police brutality, violence, bribery or extortion, and requests for sexual services or rape. The sex workers in my study, (all female)* also reported that police often arrest them, but let their clients go free. Current government policies and the stigma female sex workers face create many challenges in terms of their health and well being.
Though illegal in Uganda, sex work does occur and politicians and other people in positions of power can no longer afford to ignore this sector of society. To do so would be extremely dangerous and detrimental to society because female sex workers in Uganda have one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. A study funded by the World Bank and the United Nations Population Fund found that 37.2 percent of Ugandan female sex workers are HIV positive, and this population accounts for 15.7 percent of all infections in Uganda. In order to rectify this situation, the government, religious institutions and NGOs must start to address the high rates of HIV among these women as well as the structural problems and inequalities which initially led them to this profession.
Notes
*I do not use the names of the people or organizations involved in my study in order to protect their privacy.
*I chose to focus my study on female sex workers because they comprise the majority of this population in Kampala, and the challenges they face are somewhat different to that of their male counterparts.
*I chose to focus my study on female sex workers because they comprise the majority of this population in Kampala, and the challenges they face are somewhat different to that of their male counterparts.