MDC-T MP denies calling for legalisation of sex work

Bulawayo East MP, Tabitha Khumalo who was once widely criticised for calling for decriminalisation of sex work has denied calling for legalising prostitution saying she was merely trying to protect women from draconian laws which stipulates they have to be arrested when seen on the streets after dusk.

Khumalo said the problem lay with media houses that trivialise everything that is said by leaders and sensationalise issues out of context.

"Anything that is said by a very powerful woman is trivialised, just because somebody can write and the media want to sell their papers," Khumalo said.

"The Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act says the government has the right to arrest any women seen walking in town after 7pm whether they are accompanied by a man or not. In other words the law is saying all women are sex workers. Why is that they do not say the same thing about men?"

Khumalo told women at a Maximised Lifestyle International Women’s Conference held recently at Harvest House International in Bulawayo that women have the right to go to the streets without anyone incriminating them, to go to jobs and schools where they knock off late and freely walk in the streets.

"It is not about legalising prostitution, but it is about protecting the dignity of women in Zimbabwe that is why I have been challenging the same law," Khumalo said.

She said women and prostitutes should not be targeted as HIV/Aids transmitters.

"Women have no laws protecting them when it comes to HIV/Aids and they are dying in silence therefore they should be protected. We are being told that the main drivers are commercial sex workers so why not follow them and help them stop infection," she said.

Khumalo said although the president made a political declaration that there should be zero stigmatisation, zero deaths and zero infection by 2015 people are still dying.