The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
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Latest items for South Africa

March 9, 2024, 12:19 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-5

"Although the police virtually never have evidence, they frequently harass or arrest them, and lock them up in police cells. They will pick them up because they know they are sex workers, or just because they are standing in a place where sex workers stand, or are dressed in a way that fits the police’s stereotype of what they consider to be the way sex workers dress. The arrests we documented were always the result of this kind of profiling" (para 5). "In some places, police have decided to leave sex workers alone. As far as we understand, the police in charge just don’t consider policing sex work a priority....more
March 9, 2024, 12:19 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-3

"Several of the women described being driven out to the middle of nowhere, raped, and then kicked out of the car, sometimes naked. One woman said she got into a car with a client who had promised to buy her services for the whole night. Once she was in his car, he choked and blindfolded her, then raped her repeatedly without a condom" (para 11).
March 9, 2024, 12:19 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-1

"They are working as many hours as they can to make enough money for food and school fees for their kids. Most are single mothers who often need to pick up their kids at a certain time, usually from paid childcare in Johannesburg or from a relative’s place in the smaller towns" (para 2). "Because sex work is criminalized, and there is stigma attached to it, it’s difficult for sex workers to report abuses by police and others. When women do overcome these barriers and go to the police, the experience is often humiliating. They either send them away or laugh at them saying: “Well, what do you expect? You’re...more
March 9, 2024, 12:15 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-3

"Women in South Africa face very high levels of gender-based violence. Female sex workers are even more exposed than other women. A recent study showed that 70% of female sex workers had experienced violence in the past year. More than half had been raped by intimate partners, police, clients or other men" (para 8). "HIV prevalence of between 39% and 89% has been documented among female sex workers across different areas of South Africa in the last decade. This is extremely high when compared to the country’s national HIV prevalence rate of 13.7%" (para 9).
March 9, 2024, 12:15 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-LAW-1

"It is illegal to buy or sell sex in South Africa" (para 1). "If the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill 2022 is passed, South Africa will become only the third country in the world to fully decriminalise sex work. It would no longer be illegal to buy or sell sex" (para 2).
March 9, 2024, 12:08 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-3

"A new cross-sectional analysis of sex workers in South Africa suggests that they have an “extraordinarily high” HIV incidence rate, and thus require significantly more outreach and intervention in order to curb HIV transmission within the population as a whole" (para 1). "The analysis, published in The Lancet HIV, showed an HIV incidence rate of 5 cases per 100 person-years" (para 2). "Corresponding author Reshma Kassanjee, PhD, of the University of Cape Town, and colleagues, said an estimated 7.3 million adults in South Africa are HIV-positive, but women make up nearly two-thirds of those cases. In fact, one-quarter of women between the ages of 15 and 49 are believed to...more
March 9, 2024, 12:05 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-3

"South Africa has one of largest HIV caseloads in the world and has been hit by a growing wave of violence against women" (para 4). "Police Minister Bheki Cele said there had been a double-digit increase in murders of women year-on-year between July and September with almost 1,000 women killed. Rapes were also up 11 percent, with 10,000 cases during the period, he said" (para 5). HIgh rates of violence, STD incidence, and rape can be good indicators that women enjoy low levels of bargaining power vis a vis their male clients and pimps (MCP - CODER COMMENT). "Some recent gruesome incidents have shocked the nation, including the retrieval of...more
March 9, 2024, 12:05 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-LAW-4

"The bill, which has been published for public comment, only deals with decriminalization and does not regulate the sex industry — something Lamola said would follow at a later stage" (para 9).
March 9, 2024, 12:05 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-DATA-2

"According to advocacy groups there are over 150,000 sex workers in the country" (para 2).
Feb. 2, 2024, 6:33 a.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: DV-DATA-1

According to 2022 data from the WHO's Global Health Observatory, the proportion of ever-partnered women and girls (aged 15-49) in South Africa who have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner in their lifetime is 24 percent (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:24 p.m.
Countries: Angola, Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia
Variables: MMR-SCALE-2

3
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:19 p.m.
Countries: Mozambique, South Africa
Variables: MMR-SCALE-1

127
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:15 p.m.
Countries: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Rep, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, D R Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad/Tobago, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Variables: ERBG-SCALE-1

1more
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:06 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Rep, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, D R Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad/Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Variables: DACH-SCALE-2

1more
Jan. 24, 2024, 3:03 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Botswana, Burma/Myanmar, Burundi, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia
Variables: DACH-SCALE-1

2
Jan. 21, 2024, 11:10 a.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: MMR-DATA-1

According to a 2023 report on global trends in maternal mortality from 2000-2020 published by the WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group, and UNDESA/Population Division, in 2020 the maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) in South Africa was 127 (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Jan. 21, 2024, 10:34 a.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1

"South Africa's post-apartheid constitution is among the most liberal in the world, allowing for progressive laws on abortion and same-sex marriage, but sex work has long remained a divisive issue.'For the longest of time we have been ignored,' Yonela Sinqu, a spokeswoman for the Sisonke National Movement of Sex Workers, told AFP, saying calls for decriminalisation started decades ago" (para 11). "'It took, tenacity, resilience and a magnitude of stubbornness to continue raising our voices.'" (para 12).
Jan. 21, 2024, 10:34 a.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: LRW-DATA-1

"Rapes were also up 11 percent, with 10,000 cases during the period, he said" (para 8).
Jan. 21, 2024, 10:34 a.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: ISTD-DATA-2

"The South African government has confirmed it will decriminalise sex work in an effort to tackle crime against women in a country that has one of the world's highest HIV caseloads" (para 1).
Jan. 21, 2024, 10:34 a.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-LAW-2

"The bill, which has been published for public comment, only deals with decriminalisation and does not regulate the sex industry - something Lamola said would follow at a later stage" (para 12).
Jan. 21, 2024, 10:34 a.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-LAW-1

"The South African government has confirmed it will decriminalise sex work in an effort to tackle crime against women in a country that has one of the world's highest HIV caseloads" (para 1). "The sale and purchase of sexual services will no longer be treated as a crime under proposed legislation put forward by the justice ministry" (para 2). "Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said: 'It is hoped that decriminalisation will minimise human rights violations against sex workers'" (para 4). "'It took, tenacity, resilience and a magnitude of stubbornness to continue raising our voices'" (para 12). "Parliament has to approve the proposed legislation for it to become law. The formal procedure...more
Jan. 21, 2024, 10:34 a.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-DATA-2

"According to advocacy groups there are over 150,000 sex workers in the country" (para 3).
Jan. 20, 2024, 1:37 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: ERBG-DATA-2

According to 2023 World Bank Gender Data collected from the most recent ILO modeled estimates from 2020 onwards, the female laborforce participation rate (as a percentage of the female population ages 15+) in South Africa is 50.6% (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Jan. 7, 2024, 3:30 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: DACH-DATA-1

According to the World Bank, as of 2021, life expectancy in South Africa is 65 years for women and 59 years for men (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Dec. 28, 2023, 2:18 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: DACH-DATA-1

According to 2019 data from the WHO's Global Health Observatory, average life expectancy in South Africa is 62.2 years for men and 68.3 years for women (KMM-CODER COMMENT).
Nov. 8, 2023, 2:52 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-3

"Ideas of manhood that equate ‘being a man’ with sexual risk-taking and being in control (of women) have been shown to be associated with more negative attitudes towards condoms and less use, more sexually transmitted infections, more partners, including more casual partners, more frequent sex, more abuse of alcohol and more transactional sex [6–11]" (1). Transgender sex workers may be at an escalated risk for HIV (MD - CODDER COMMENT). "The stigmatization of men who have nonheterosexual identities or practices has resulted in neglect in prevention programming in most countries and huge barriers to access to services [12]. Lesbian women face widespread ‘corrective’sexual violence that increases their vulnerability to HIV...more
Nov. 8, 2023, 2:49 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-1

"Poverty also leads to people exchanging sex for goods or money. Linked to this is the tendency to perform unsafe sex practices" (24).
Oct. 28, 2023, 3:51 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-5

"The laws and subsequent marginalisation of sex workers makes them more vulnerable to assault by the police, clients, third parties and brothel owners. Sex workers are often targeted by the police and are more vulnerable to violence because they have to work in dangerous and isolated locations to evade attention" (para 2).
Oct. 28, 2023, 3:51 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-LAW-1

"Sex work is illegal in South Africa. Sex work is criminalised in the Criminal Code, and municipal by-laws also contain provisions that prohibit sex work such as 'importuning any person for the purpose of prostitution' and 'soliciting'. Sex workers have very little legal protection" (para 1).
Oct. 28, 2023, 3:41 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-5

"Sex workers in South Africa say police routinely harass them, physically and sexually assault them, demand illegal payments, and threaten them with dogs and other cruelty. One sex worker recalls how police beat her, then pepper sprayed her vagina and wounds. Dudu recounts her own experiences with police, saying 'I’ve been instructed to trade sex with an officer as a condition of my release and been driven for miles and miles in a police van before being dumped and left to make my own way home.' Dudu and others say police often confiscate and destroy their condoms, or use condoms as evidence of a crime—which discourages sex workers from carrying...more