News / National
'Give sex workers loans, houses'
8 hrs ago | 75 Views
Senators have urged the government to intervene in improving the welfare of sex workers, arguing that poverty in the trade is exposing children to abuse and worsening the HIV and Aids crisis in Zimbabwe.
The call was made during a debate on the Report of the HIV/Aids Committee on Access to HIV/Aids and Sexual Reproductive Health Services by Sex Workers, tabled in the Senate by Angeline Tongogara, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on HIV and Aids.
Tongogara told the Upper House that nationwide consultations revealed that many sex workers were living in squalid conditions, struggling to provide proper shelter for their families. She said most of them were pleading for residential stands, loans, or start-up capital to venture into alternative businesses.
"Sex workers are pleading for residential stands, loans or capital to start businesses. They were saying they cannot afford residential stands because they do not get enough money. They use one room which they divide into four compartments together with their children and their clients for the whole night," she said.
The senators visited several areas, including Forbes Border Post, Ngundu, Beitbridge, Gweru, Chinhoyi, Chiwaridzo, Bindura, and Harare, where they engaged sex workers. Ishmael Zhou said the parliamentarians were surprised by the way sex workers regarded their trade as a profession, even developing their own language to describe clients.
Zhou noted that many sex workers were overwhelmed by the impact of the HIV and Aids pandemic, with some preparing wills out of fear they would not survive beyond six months. He added that the workers also complained about high tariffs at Beitbridge Border Post, which were diverting haulage truck business elsewhere.
"Another thing that we learned from sex workers is that they have a network that surpasses every network that we think we have. They also wait for the month-end because they know that is when they get more money and clients. They said they can get about three to four clients per day, but the income is not enough because they can only afford rentals without groceries," Zhou said.
Information Communication Technology deputy minister Dingimuzi Phuti highlighted disturbing cases where children were abused as a result of the sex trade. He called for increased resources towards HIV and Aids programmes to strengthen the work of the National Aids Council and other organisations that support sex workers.
Tapfumanei Muzoda urged government to expedite preventive HIV injections and treatment to curb further transmission, while Senator Sesel Zvidzai emphasised that sex workers deserved equal protection under the Constitution.
"It is about section 76 of the Constitution, which demands that every Zimbabwean should enjoy certain rights, including healthcare rights. Let us not exclude them, let us not stigmatise them, and let us put in place policies that mitigate their plight," Zvidzai said.
However, Omega Sipani-Hungwe strongly condemned sex work, describing it as immoral and un-African. She instead called for women empowerment initiatives to provide sustainable alternatives.
"In our culture, sex work is prostitution because you find a woman sleeping with multiple men. What I am saying is that we need to find mitigatory measures where women are empowered with life skills, vocational skills and income-generating projects. I do not agree with the issue of commercial sex work because this country is now morally bankrupt," she said.
The debate reflected a sharp divide among lawmakers, with some pushing for policy measures to protect sex workers and others dismissing the practice as morally unacceptable.
The call was made during a debate on the Report of the HIV/Aids Committee on Access to HIV/Aids and Sexual Reproductive Health Services by Sex Workers, tabled in the Senate by Angeline Tongogara, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on HIV and Aids.
Tongogara told the Upper House that nationwide consultations revealed that many sex workers were living in squalid conditions, struggling to provide proper shelter for their families. She said most of them were pleading for residential stands, loans, or start-up capital to venture into alternative businesses.
"Sex workers are pleading for residential stands, loans or capital to start businesses. They were saying they cannot afford residential stands because they do not get enough money. They use one room which they divide into four compartments together with their children and their clients for the whole night," she said.
The senators visited several areas, including Forbes Border Post, Ngundu, Beitbridge, Gweru, Chinhoyi, Chiwaridzo, Bindura, and Harare, where they engaged sex workers. Ishmael Zhou said the parliamentarians were surprised by the way sex workers regarded their trade as a profession, even developing their own language to describe clients.
Zhou noted that many sex workers were overwhelmed by the impact of the HIV and Aids pandemic, with some preparing wills out of fear they would not survive beyond six months. He added that the workers also complained about high tariffs at Beitbridge Border Post, which were diverting haulage truck business elsewhere.
"Another thing that we learned from sex workers is that they have a network that surpasses every network that we think we have. They also wait for the month-end because they know that is when they get more money and clients. They said they can get about three to four clients per day, but the income is not enough because they can only afford rentals without groceries," Zhou said.
Information Communication Technology deputy minister Dingimuzi Phuti highlighted disturbing cases where children were abused as a result of the sex trade. He called for increased resources towards HIV and Aids programmes to strengthen the work of the National Aids Council and other organisations that support sex workers.
Tapfumanei Muzoda urged government to expedite preventive HIV injections and treatment to curb further transmission, while Senator Sesel Zvidzai emphasised that sex workers deserved equal protection under the Constitution.
"It is about section 76 of the Constitution, which demands that every Zimbabwean should enjoy certain rights, including healthcare rights. Let us not exclude them, let us not stigmatise them, and let us put in place policies that mitigate their plight," Zvidzai said.
However, Omega Sipani-Hungwe strongly condemned sex work, describing it as immoral and un-African. She instead called for women empowerment initiatives to provide sustainable alternatives.
"In our culture, sex work is prostitution because you find a woman sleeping with multiple men. What I am saying is that we need to find mitigatory measures where women are empowered with life skills, vocational skills and income-generating projects. I do not agree with the issue of commercial sex work because this country is now morally bankrupt," she said.
The debate reflected a sharp divide among lawmakers, with some pushing for policy measures to protect sex workers and others dismissing the practice as morally unacceptable.
Source - Newsday
