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The Red Umbrella Foundation contraceptives that currently form part of an outreach programme among local sex workers with an aim to curb the spread of HIV/Aids.

Local sex worker helps improve colleagues’ lives

Date: 05 February 2016 By: Isabel Venter

She comes in quietly and sits down properly. She is very soft-spoken. She is a sex worker. Up until two years ago, Todani (not her real name) was just a sex worker until she got drawn in by the Munna Ndi Nnyi? (MNN) organisation in Louis Trichardt.

MNN means “Who is the real man?” in Tshivenda. They have their head office in Thohoyandou and a satellite office here in town. Their goal is to help and assist local sex workers with health, legal and human-rights issues that they encounter in their daily work place.

The aforementioned woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, is now one of Munna Ndi Nnya’s peer educators who manages education and talk programmes to fellow sex workers. “I now know my rights, not only as a sex worker, but also as a human being and citizen of this country,” Todani explains.

She, like the many other women she supports, prefers to be called a sex worker, rather than the derogatory term prostitute or magosha. This is in line with the Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce’s (SWEAT) human rights approach that they follow. All SWEAT’s outreach activities centre around health and human rights, and the recognition that sex work is work and should be legalized.

MNN receives a lot of support from SWEAT in the form of free legal support, and the prevention and care of HIV, TB and STIs by distributing condoms and offering free testing and counselling. SWEAT recently joined hands with the Sisonke (National Sex Worker Movement of South Africa) in launching the Red Umbrella program that is funded by the National Aids Fund of South Africa.

The aim of the Red Umbrella program is to cater for the needs of sex workers, who are more vulnerable to HIV infection than most people. Special prevention and treatment interventions suited to their particular needs and circumstances are necessary.

Limpopo representative for SWEAT Ms Penelope Ngoasheng stated that the programme aims to reduce the transmission of HIV to sex workers and their clients. She added that it also aims to ensure good access to social services and health care for sex workers, and to tackle human rights issues, such as abuse, that make them vulnerable to HIV infection. “We follow up with Ṱoḓani regularly, and what is especially heartwarming is the amount of cooperation she has established between the different government and private stakeholders here in her community,” said Penelope.

The success of their programme, said Penelope, was the fact that sex workers have a real stake in the planning and running of the programme.

These are the peer educators who are in charge of monthly creative space meetings. Educators function as advocates to teach fellow sex workers their human and legal rights. Questions such as access to justice for sex workers, guidelines and support in the event of police harassment and abuse by clients are only a few of the challenges that are tackled during meetings.

At the moment, Ṱoḓani is in charge of seven other peer educators who operate in the Louis Trichardt area. She initially became involved with MNN on her own – seeing the possibility of making a change in her community. “When I started talking to other sex workers, I was shocked to learn that they were not aware of HIV,” Ṱoḓani recalled.

“Others were afraid to reveal that they are living with HIV/Aids, and they did not stick to their ARV schedule,” said Ṱoḓani. She decided to rather lead by example and, during one creative session meeting, revealed to her fellow workers that she is HIV positive. “They were so shocked, because I looked healthy; they did not think that I was positive,” said Ṱoḓani.

Now a typical day for Ṱoḓani and her fellow educators will begin with visits to all the known hotspots in town. They distribute condoms, and make sure that all workers are aware of their rights. Ṱoḓani said they first visited the outdoor sector (streets, bars, clubs, shebeens and taverns) and afterwards the indoor sector (workers operating from their homes). Sometimes they will also educate the general public on safe sex, HIV and other related issues.

Once a month, all the workers meet at MNN’s offices for a creative space meeting. “For instance, if they want more information about TB or ID applications, I will make sure to get an expert from the relevant department to come and host a lecture,” said Ṱoḓani.  

Ṱoḓani also meets with local law enforcement to follow up on cases where fellow sex workers have been arrested. In South Africa, under the Amended Sexual Offences Act (Act 32 of 2007), the clients of sex workers are criminalised. This means that only the client can be arrested and charged. The workers themselves are usually charged by means of public nuisance by-laws, such as loitering, public indecency or littering.

Locally, said Ṱoḓani, she had noticed an improvement in that sex workers are not charged unfairly and are spared further abuse, such as a refusal to open a case or release without proper access to the law.

To get involved or find out more, MNN can be contacted in Louis Trichardt at 083 596 7281. SWEAT can be contacted on their 24-hour toll-free help line at 0800 60 60 60 or alternatively a Please Call Me SMS can be forwarded to 071 357 7632.

 
 
 

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

 
 

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