TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex work and condom use in Soweto, South Africa
T2 - a call for community-based interventions with clients
AU - Huschke, Susann
AU - Coetzee, Jenny
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2020/1/2
Y1 - 2020/1/2
N2 - Despite public health interventions targeting sex workers in an attempt to increase condom use, HIV still remains a significant health issue for those involved in the sex industry in many countries. In this paper, we analyse data collected as part of an ethnographic study of sex work in Soweto, South Africa. We show that the main problems with consistent condom use are clients who threaten violence if sex workers insist on condoms, clients who are ‘rough’ and refuse to stop intercourse when the condom breaks, and clients who offer to pay more money for unprotected sex. These issues relate to unequal gender norms that disempower female sex workers and dismiss the importance of consent in sexual relationships. The criminalisation of sex work increases vulnerability and reduces sex workers’ agency as sex workers are reluctant to report crimes committed against them. Persistent ‘whore stigma’ adds to this dynamic by dehumanising sex workers. In conclusion, we advocate for decriminalisation and posit that public health interventions aimed at increasing condom use and reducing HIV rates need to specifically engage clients, address unequal gender norms and involve local communities to tackle stigma directed against sex workers.
AB - Despite public health interventions targeting sex workers in an attempt to increase condom use, HIV still remains a significant health issue for those involved in the sex industry in many countries. In this paper, we analyse data collected as part of an ethnographic study of sex work in Soweto, South Africa. We show that the main problems with consistent condom use are clients who threaten violence if sex workers insist on condoms, clients who are ‘rough’ and refuse to stop intercourse when the condom breaks, and clients who offer to pay more money for unprotected sex. These issues relate to unequal gender norms that disempower female sex workers and dismiss the importance of consent in sexual relationships. The criminalisation of sex work increases vulnerability and reduces sex workers’ agency as sex workers are reluctant to report crimes committed against them. Persistent ‘whore stigma’ adds to this dynamic by dehumanising sex workers. In conclusion, we advocate for decriminalisation and posit that public health interventions aimed at increasing condom use and reducing HIV rates need to specifically engage clients, address unequal gender norms and involve local communities to tackle stigma directed against sex workers.
KW - gender inequality
KW - HIV prevention
KW - sex work
KW - South Africa
KW - violence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062376167&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13691058.2019.1568575
DO - 10.1080/13691058.2019.1568575
M3 - Article
C2 - 30794091
AN - SCOPUS:85062376167
SN - 1369-1058
VL - 22
SP - 1
EP - 15
JO - Culture, Health and Sexuality
JF - Culture, Health and Sexuality
IS - 1
ER -