ENFORCING FEAR: Police abuse of sex workers when making arrests

Together with other research (see SA Crime Quarterly No 15 2006), this Cape Town based study shows that the highest levels of violence against sex workers come from the police. Far from guaranteeing the rights of the accused, police officers’ actions against sex workers when making an arrest are characterised by criminal activity including theft, assault and rape. Moreover, the minimum use of force is rarely applied when arresting sex workers. These findings reflect a worrying lack of respect for the basic human and constitutional rights of the most vulnerable in South African society

SEX WORKERS SPEAK OUT: Policing and the sex industry

South African sex workers, especially those working on the street, have good reason to feel afraid when they are on the job. Not only do they have to contend with the inherent dangers of their profession, but because sex work is a crime, they face frequent abuse and harassment from the police who are ostensibly upholding the law. But the threat of arrest does little to stop sex workers; instead it forces them underground and into situations that are potentially even more dangerous

Filling the gap : a learning network for health and human rights in the Western Cape, South Africa

We draw on the experience of a Learning Network for Health and Human Rights (LN) involving collaboration between academic institutions and civil society organizations in the Western Cape, South Africa, aimed at identifying and disseminating best practice related to the right to health. The LN’s work in materials development, participatory research, training and capacity-building for action, and advocacy for intervention illustrates important lessons for human rights practice. These include (i) the importance of active translation of knowledge and awareness into action for rights to be made real; (ii) the potential tension arising from civil society action, which might relieve the state of its obligations by delivering services that should be the state’s responsibility—and hence the importance of emphasizing civil society’s role in holding services accountable in terms of the right to health; (iii) the role of civil society organizations in filling a gap related to obligations to promote rights; (iv) the critical importance of networking and solidarity for building civil society capacity to act for health rights. Evidence from evaluation of the LN is presented to support the argument that civil society can play a key role in bridging a gap between formal state commitment to creating a human rights culture and realizing services and policies that enable the most vulnerable members of society to advance their health. Through access to information and the creation of spaces, both for participation and as a safe environment in which learning can be turned into practice, the agency of those most affected by rights violations can be redressed. We argue that civil society agency is critical to such action