Sex Workers in Uganda has appealed for support from the government and other development agencies saying they continue to face a lot of victimization.
Different sex workers who were yesterday speaking at an event to mark day against exploitation of sex workers gave testimonies of how they are victimised by their male customers, the police and stigmatised by society.
Dr. Sylvia Tamale
Maclean Kyoma, the Spokesperson of the group says they face a lot of abuse because of trying to earn a living the only way they see open to them.
She says giving them alternative forms of income would reduce the number of people engaging in sex work. Kyomya says the government should provide loans to sexual workers and help them organsie into Savings and Credit Associations instead of condemning them.
They also thanked Dr. Sylvia Tamale, a Makerere University law professor for being a lone voice in defending the rights of sex workers.
Tamale who attended the function said the government and Ugandan society in general a lot of hypocrisy in judging women’s sexual rights by condemning sex workers and not the men who sleep with them.
The sex workers recently presented a petition to the speaker of Parliament Edward Ssekandi calling for recognition and being targeted by government programmes including HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment, and the Speaker promised their issues will be looked into.
But the Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Dr. James Nsaba Bututo says sex workers should first leave the practice before government can engage them in anyway. He says the government cannot deal with a group calling themselves sexual workers since prostitution is illegal in Uganda.