- Conference
- 2004 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 9 October 2003
- Decision
- Carried
Conference recognises the discrimination and exploitation against sex workers who are mainly women.
Conference also recognises that some sex workers are a vital sector in preventing the spread of HIV/Aids. It also believes a more open approach to commercial sex would also help protect children from abuse. When sex workers are treated as second class citizens and in extreme cases as less than human, then all women who dare to step out of their social constraints will be labelled as whores and treated accordingly. For these reasons, the rights of all women are dependent on the rights given to the most vulnerable women.
Conference instructs the National Women’s Committee to:
1)campaign to legalise prostitution;
2)work with sex workers, the police, the justice system, the Government, non-government organisations and children’s rights groups;
3)report back to National Women’s Conference 2005.
Finally, legalising prostitution would not only underline the right to earn a living but more importantly legalise the fight against sexually transmitted disease and the AIDS epidemic.