image

Rights Not Rescue

Female, Male, and Trans Sex Workers' Human Rights in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa

Date:
June 2009
Source:
Open Society Foundations
Author:
Jayne Arnott and Anna-Louise Crago

Sex workers are subjected to widespread human rights abuses, including police violence and unequal access to health care, in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Despite enormous challenges, sex workers are organizing to protect their rights and demand an end to violence and discrimination.

Published by the Open Society Institute, Rights Not Rescue is based on a series of interviews and focus groups with sex workers and advocates throughout the three countries.

Audio Interviews

In addition to the published report, sex workers who participated in the research and related roundtable discussions describe through audio taped interviews the effects of these rights abuses and how they are organizing to respond.

download audio

download audio

download audio

download audio

Photos ©Erica Pelletreau/Open Society Institute

back to the top of the page
Related Information

Rights Not Rescue
August 2, 2010
video VIDEO  
In this animated short film, sex workers in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa tell their personal stories and share the challenges they encounter as well as a collective call for hope and change.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender: Human Rights Are Human Rights
David Scamell
December 16, 2011
blog BLOG  
A landmark report by the UN Commissioner for Human Rights documents serious human rights abuses perpetrated against sexual and gender minorities worldwide. This is a positive step forward and a victory for LGBT activists who risk their lives fighting for human rights in every corner of the globe.

Secretary Clinton: Thank You, and More, Please
Zoe Hudson
November 9, 2011
blog BLOG  
Calling for an "AIDS-free generation," Secretary Clinton delivered a strong and welcome speech on global HIV/AIDS. At a time of stagnating budgets and threats to foreign aid, her strong support for ramping up the fight was good news. But why no mention of vulnerable groups, like people who inject drugs, sex workers, and men who have sex with men?

Kenya's Invisible Women
Umra Omar
October 13, 2011
blog BLOG  
In the small town of Malindi, Kenya, women who use drugs will never receive the services they deserve until the community listens to their needs.

International Partnership for Advancing Transgender Health
Salzburg, Austria
October 2, 2011
The Sexual Health and Rights Project and the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health at the University of California, San Francisco, are convening the “International Partnership for Advancing Transgender Health” seminar on October 2–8, 2011, as part of the Salzburg Medical Seminars International.

About  |  Initiatives  |  Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships  |  Resource Center  |  Newsroom  |  Site Map  |  Legal  |  Contact


Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative License.
©2012 Open Society Foundations. Some rights reserved.