News / Local
'No sex workers in Zimbabwe" -- Senator says
06 Feb 2017 at 04:57hrs | Views
ZANU PF Senator Tapera Machingaifa has ruled that there are no commercial sex workers in Zimbabwe.
The senator told the upper house that if sex workers do exisit, he asked whether they pay Aids Levy.
"My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Public Service and Social Welfare, Hon. Matangaidze. Minister, you are the one who represents the majority of the workers; what does the Government policy say; we have heard in the media that there are workers who are known as sex workers.
"In Zimbabwe do we have commercial sex workers, if so, the levies that are paid to the Aids levy and NSSA, do they also contribute towards those funds?".
In response, the deputy minister said Government policy does not allow commercial sex work.
"So, it is illegal. Considering that it is illegal, it means it is not allowed, it is an imprisonable offence. So, we cannot collect taxes on illegal practices".
In May 2015, the Constitutional Court outlawed the arrest of sex workers found loitering the streets "for purposes of prostitution" saying as long as there were no men who would confirm being approached by the women for sex, the arrests were unconstitutional.
That followed an application filed by nine Harare women, who argued that their arrest in March 2014 and prosecution on charges of soliciting for prostitution contravened Section 49(1)(b) and that it was a denial of their fundamental right to the protection of the law as guaranteed by Section 56(1) of the same charter
The senator told the upper house that if sex workers do exisit, he asked whether they pay Aids Levy.
"My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Public Service and Social Welfare, Hon. Matangaidze. Minister, you are the one who represents the majority of the workers; what does the Government policy say; we have heard in the media that there are workers who are known as sex workers.
"In Zimbabwe do we have commercial sex workers, if so, the levies that are paid to the Aids levy and NSSA, do they also contribute towards those funds?".
In response, the deputy minister said Government policy does not allow commercial sex work.
"So, it is illegal. Considering that it is illegal, it means it is not allowed, it is an imprisonable offence. So, we cannot collect taxes on illegal practices".
In May 2015, the Constitutional Court outlawed the arrest of sex workers found loitering the streets "for purposes of prostitution" saying as long as there were no men who would confirm being approached by the women for sex, the arrests were unconstitutional.
That followed an application filed by nine Harare women, who argued that their arrest in March 2014 and prosecution on charges of soliciting for prostitution contravened Section 49(1)(b) and that it was a denial of their fundamental right to the protection of the law as guaranteed by Section 56(1) of the same charter
Source - Byo24News
