Introduction
Sex work is ideally known as “the worlds’ oldest profession”. In as much as it is illegal in many countries worldwide including Zimbabwe, the fact remains that it is still being practised. It is, therefore, necessary to try and make sure that sex workers are engaging in safe sex through the use of condoms, regular health check-ups as well as knowing their HIV status. Despite their vulnerability, sex workers remain a largely visible, inadequately served and marginalized population hence the need to advocate for them. A hostile environment that includes social exclusion, the risk of arrest and no access to legal resources is one of the major factors that perpetuate the marginalization of sex workers.
Advocacy Issue
Prostitution plays a major role in perpetuating the spread of HIV. Sex workers face various impediments to health care which include stigma and discrimination. It is incredibly difficult for sex workers to go to clinics and bluntly admit that they are sex workers. Many experience humiliation and ridicule by health care personnel. Some are even afraid of being reported to authorities hence they shy away from anything that would identify them as sex workers in a bid to combat the risks of facing arrests. There is a dire need to at least help these women (and men in some cases) with basics such as condoms as well as HIV self-test kits so that they get to know their HIV status. Basic counselling sessions on emphasizing the consistent use of condoms and how they help prevent the sexual spread of HIV and STIs is also vital. This is only effective when done in private which means there is a need to go to various “hot spots” and try to engage this hard-to-reach population. The ultimate impact would be a reduction of new HIV infections among sex workers and their partners with a resultant decrease in HIV and TB related deaths among sex workers. Discrimination is a major challenge. Without condoms and access to medications, the risk of HIV infections becomes greater. Eventually, sex workers are forced not to use condoms thus increasing the possibility of infections and the spread of diseases.
Action
I managed to visit three of the major “hot-spots” in Kadoma town and with the help of 3 friends we managed to distribute a total of 300 condoms. We were able to talk to only a few of the ladies as we had not yet gained their trust but they were willing to listen and were really eager to know more about the HIV self-test kits.
Experiences
We got a chance to really experience a day in the life of a sex worker. We learned that some of them actually spend the day working in places such as restaurants and small shops then later on in the evening start another totally different job. Most of these women are young mothers who are merely just trying to provide for their children in the only way they know-how. They also talked about their struggles and some of the stories even moved us to tears.
Achievements
I can safely say that we managed to gain the trust of some of the ladies we visited and to me that is a huge achievement. They promised to preach our gospel to their friends who kept doubting our intentions so that on our next visit, we will be able to reach an even bigger population with our advocacy. They also convinced us that they will stand their ground when it comes to negotiating the use of condoms with their clients.
Challenges
The major challenge we faced was the refusal of the ladies to take any photos. We even tried to convince them that their faces will be covered and nothing will lead back to them but they were adamant and we almost got kicked out. It is understandable due to the sensitivity of the matter. Most Zimbabweans do not support prostitution hence it is difficult to advocate for something that is not supported by the populace. Many sex workers try to avoid things that identify them as sex workers such as carrying condoms or visiting clinics for check-ups therefore they are always prone to get infected. Some are raped but cannot report the crimes due to fear of being humiliated and chastised further. The criminalization of sex work opens many avenues to potential abuse and human rights violation, but this is a story for another day.
Conclusion
Stigmatization and discrimination of sex workers is cancer that we can never get rid of. However, with the correct and proper advocacy done through the right channels, we can help combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic to a certain extent through providing much-needed health care and counselling to sex workers. This will help our nation as a whole in so many different ways, but most importantly through reducing deaths caused by HIV.
