By using our site, you agree to our collection of information through the use of cookies. To learn more, view our Privacy Policy. To browse Academia. This paper examines the implications of legalizing prostitution in Senegal, the only African nation to adopt such a policy, and its effects on female sex workers FSWs in the context of HIV prevalence.
By comparing Senegal's approach with that of South Africa, which criminalizes sex work, the study highlights the innovative aspects of Senegal's policy while recognizing its limitations, including societal stigma and regulatory challenges. It ultimately argues that while Senegal's legalization of sex work presents advancements in public health and human rights, further reforms are necessary to enhance the protection and empowerment of FSWs.
The prevalence and nature of female prostitution in the west is considered, as are the main types of motivation for engaging in sex work. The impact of the AIDS pandemic on prostitutes and their work is discussed, as are a number of legal, ideological and representational issues relating to prostitution which have been given new salience by the AIDS debate.
It is contended that the legal process continues to discriminate unjustly against women prostitutes; that a 'double standard' of sexual morality persists; and that prostitute groups have articulated a clear response to law and ideology, hinging on the de-criminalisation of uncoerced adult prostitution. It is suggested that one likely consequence of decrimmalisation would be improved access to health education and care facilities, as relevant for the general health status of women workers as for STDs, including AIDS.
Senegal is a unique example of a sub-Saharan African country with a legal framework for the regulation of commercial sex work. While registering as a legal sex worker affords women access to valuable social and medical resources, sex work is condemned by Senegalese society.
