News24 reports that the message sex workers delivered to Members of Parliament on Wednesday during a multi-party women's caucus meeting was that they were mothers, sisters, friends, caregivers and also women who just happened to be a sex workers.  

They appealed to the women in the committee to help make their jobs safer by speaking out against the criminalisation of sex work.  The sex workers described a vicious cycle of abuse – perpetuated by clients, police and the criminal justice system.  A Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) activist told the committee:  We know what we want, it is the decriminalisation of sex work.  Let our voices be heard."  Another activist called on MPs to be firm in calling for the decriminalisation of sex work.  They needed an actionable plan instead of more meetings, she said.

• Read this report by Thulani Gqirana in full at News24
• See too, Cobblestones, aircon make our working conditions equally bad, MP tells sex workers, at News24

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