Regional updates: Africa

Our members are listed on the left or you can click the red umbrellas on the map.

Regional Board Members

Pamela Chakuvinga (Sisonke), South Africa

Patrick Fotso (Alcondoms Cameroun), Cameroon

Regional Network

The African Sex Workers Alliance (ASWA) is a pan-African network of sex worker-led national networks and national and local organisations led by and/or working with female, male and transgender sex workers. It was formed in 2009 by sex workers and women’s activists and non-governmental organisations and is now based in Nairobi, Kenya.

News articles from Africa region are listed below.

Regional updates

11th mai 2020 | Region: Africa

В конце февраля в Африке был зарегистрирован второй случай инфицирования COVID-19. С того момента инфекция проникла во все части света: 32 000 человек были инфицированы и около 1400 умерли.

Пандемия, которая обнажила существующее неравенство и в непропорциональной степени сказалась на тех, кто подвергается уголовному преследованию, маргинализации и живет в ситуации хронической нехватки финансов, сказалась и на секс-работниках Сенегала в Западной Африке.

11th mai 2020 | Region: Africa

在二月末,非洲确诊了第二例COVID-19病例。从那时起,疾病开始在非洲各个地区传播,截至目前有将近32000例确诊病例,导致超过1400人死亡。

在西非国家塞内加尔,性工作者在疫情中艰难生存。这些已经被污名化、生活于社会边缘并且生活窘迫的人暴露于不平等和失去收入的威胁中。

And Soppeku-一个由性工作者领导、致力于推动塞内加尔国内法律和政策环境改变的组织,向NSWP组织的COVID-19影响调查报告了他们在COVID-19疫情中的经历,和这场灾难对当地性工作者造成的影响。

“由于塞内加尔实行宵禁,从晚上8点到早上6点,顾客的数量非常有限。随着国家进入紧急状态,跨区域旅行被禁止,因此,在其原籍地区以外固定场所工作的性工作者受到警察突然搜捕和敲诈勒索的影响。”

11th mai 2020 | Region: Africa

A la fin de février, le deuxième cas de COVID-19 a été documenté dans un pays africain. Depuis, la maladie s’est propagée dans chaque région, avec pour résultat environ 32,000 cas confirmés et autour de 1,400 décès.

Les travailleurSEs du sexe au Sénégal, en Afrique de l’ouest, se trouvent en difficulté dans ce contexte de pandémie, qui a exposé les inégalités existantes et qui affecte de manière disproportionnée les personnes déjà criminalisées, marginalisées et vivant dans des situations financièrement précaires.

3rd avril 2020 | Region: Africa

NSWP is seeking to recruit a Policy Officer to join our Policy Team, led by the Senior Policy Officer, working on developing global advocacy tools for our members and reviewing external policy documents in line with the NSWP Consensus Statement and the priorities set by the NSWP Board.

20th août 2019 | Region: Africa

Sex workers are calling for more prevention and sensitisation work during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following the recent death of a sex worker in Eastern DRC. 

6th juin 2019 | Region: Africa

On 2nd June, International Sex Workers Day, AGAP (LGBT Rwanda) was forcibly removed from its office which it has shared with a church in Gisenyi, Rwanda, since 2013.

6th mai 2019 | Region: Africa

Sex worker organisations and other human rights groups have condemned the arrest and violent mistreatment of women by police, who arrested more than 100 women at nightclubs in Abuja last week. It has been reported the women were arrested under sex work laws, although many of the women deny being sex workers.

2nd avril 2019 | Region: Africa

The South African Government is considering a policy on decriminalisation of sex work, according to President Ramaphosa. The President told a number of organisations at an event last week that the government would: "finalize the outstanding legislation such as the prevention and combating [of] hate crime, the hate crime bill and victim support services. We will work with all stakeholders to develop policy around the decriminalization of sex work."

9th novembre 2018 | Region: Africa

International human rights organisations have condemned recent the harassment and arrest of gay men in Tanzania, following comments from a government official on plans to establish a task force to identify, track down and arrest people suspected of being gay.

8th octobre 2018 | Region: Africa

Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo is currently in the midst of a massive operation against sex workers.

6th juillet 2018 | Region: Africa

Women’s and sex workers’ rights activists are protesting in Uganda following increasing numbers of violent attacks on women, including women sex workers. Groups report that kidnapping of women for ransom and murder have become increasingly common crimes in Uganda, and that there has not been sufficient investigation or justice for victims and their families.

10th mai 2018 | Region: Africa

The 17th Sex Worker Academy Africa (SWAA) has begun in Nairobi with 16 participants from three countries taking part.

26th avril 2018 | Region: Africa

On Friday 20th April, 3 members of NSWP member Avenir Jeune de l'Ouest (AJO) were arrested at their offices in Dschang, Cameroon, following a raid by police. A further two members were arrested on Saturday 21st April, and have since been held at Dschang Central Police station. AJO reported that the members were not given reason for their detention and suffered violence and aggression at the hands of the police. 

18th avril 2018 | Region: Africa

Earlier this week, the Economist published an article on the status of sex workers in Senegal, which has a ‘legalised’ model. It states that: “Senegal is the only place in Africa where sex workers are regulated by the state.”

28th février 2018 | Region: Africa

Criminalisation of sex work is an expression of stigma against sex workers and is opposed by sex workers and sex workers’ rights organisations around the world. In South Africa, the Sisonke Sex Workers’ Movement and Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) have continued to advocate for the full decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa, by raising public awareness of the human rights violations suffered by sex workers under the current outdated legal framework.