South African female sex workers’ interactions with law enforcement: An exploratory study

Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences of female sex workers (FSWs) when interacting with the police while conducting their business activities. The informants were 10 FSWs, aged 25 to 30 years, who conducted their business in the busy streets of a large South African metropolitan area. They responded to semi-structured interview questions that captured different enforcement strategies and violent police encounters. Thematic analysis indicated harmful interactions characterised by physical violence, harassment, humiliation, and extortion. From these experiences, the sex workers indicated that they had no confidence in police and would not report any cases meriting litigation. Findings may be explained by the criminalisation of the sex work in South Africa. Decriminalisation of the sex trade would enhance sex workers’ sense of safety for their business activities and provide for legal recourse for offenses on them.

Keywords:

• female sex workers
• harassment
• humiliation and extortion
• police
• physical violence