Sex industry - work or exploitation?

Cape Town - Should what is referred to as the oldest profession be criminalised, decriminalised or treated in a different way?  This question has arisen during Women’s Month and is posed in Terry Bell’s Labour Wrap this week.

He points out that the issue has strongly come to the fore this week, with a survey of the sex industry in the authoritative Economist magazine and with complaints in cities, particularly Cape Town that street walkers have invaded some suburbs.  Bell notes that, in straitened economic circumstances, there is usually an increase in this industry.

He also points out that a number of governments tend to favour decriminalising and regulating this business, because in doing so, they both lower the unemployment rate while at the same time, increasing the income tax revenue base. So far three options to deal with this situation in South Africa have emerged:

1. Decriminalise. This is supported by Cosatu and by the Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) that operates around the country with 17 linked non-governmental organisations;
2. Maintain criminalisation, with greater enforcement and harsher penalties. This is supported, especially by religious groups; and
3. The Nordic approach. This makes it legal to sell sexual favours, but illegal to buy them and is promoted by the non-governmental organisation Embrace Dignity that will stage a seminar in Cape Town to discuss the best way forward.

The main question, Bell says, is whether this lucrative industry should be regarded as work or exploitation.

Watch:



- Fin24

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* Terry Bell is a political, economic and labour analyst. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.