The Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work (abbreviated "Asijiki Coalition") is a South Africa-based civil society coalition that advocates for the full

decriminalisation of sex work The decriminalization of sex work is the removal of criminal penalties for sex work (specifically, prostitution). Sex work, the consensual provision of sexual services for money or goods, is criminalized in most countries. Decriminalization is ...

in South Africa. The coalition was formed in August 2015 consisting of a membership of over 70 Organisations including individual activists (such as

Ayanda Denge Ayanda Denge (1982 – 24 March 2019) was a South African trans woman and sex trafficking survivor. She was an advocate for transgender people, sex trafficking survivors, and for the abolition of prostitution. She was the chairperson of the Se ...

), human rights defenders, lawyers, sex workers, and academics.

Member Organisations

Asijiki members include

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, African Centre for Migration and Society,

Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation The Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation (DTHF) is a nonprofit organization founded to provide treatment for and conduct HIV/AIDS research. It is based in Cape Town, South Africa and is managed with the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the University of Cape Town ...

Commission for Gender Equality The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) is an independent chapter nine institution in South Africa. It draws its mandate from the South African Constitution by way of the Commission for Gender Equality Act of 1996. Vision and mission The vision of ...

, COSATU, Doctors Without Borders (MSF-SA), Legal Resources Centre, UCT Gender Health and Justice Research Unit, One in Nine Campaign, Oxfam South Africa, Rape Crisis, Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), and many others. Asijiki is the isiZulu word meaning 'no turning back' and the coalition was formed in an effort to safeguard the human rights of sex workers, and advocate for the full decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa. Several prominent non-governmental Organisations in South Africa form the Steering Committee for the Asijiki Coalition. These Organisations are Sonke Gender Justice, Sex Workers Education and Advocacy (SWEAT), Sisonke (National Sex Workers Movement in South Africa), and the Women's Legal Centre.

History

Asijiki_Coalition_for_the_Decriminalisation_of_Sex_Work

Asijiki Coalition has made the news in South Africa on several occasions. The launch of the Asijiki Coalition garnered attention from several news outlets in South Africa, including Health24 which listed what was described as the 'shameful history' of sex worker murders in South Africa and specifically Cape Town, supporting the Asijiki Coalition's work for the full decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa. In December 2015, individual members of the Asijiki Coalition gave testimony in South Africa's

Gauteng Provincial Legislature The Gauteng Provincial Legislature is the legislature of the South African province of Gauteng. It is a unicameral body of 73 members elected every five years. The current legislature, the sixth, was elected on 8 May 2019 and has an African N ...

, listing the difficulties and barriers that they face as a result of the criminalisation of sex work in South African law. Asijiki Coalition has advocated on issues such as sex workers' access to

healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

, police harassment, assault of sex workers, the high incidence of murders of sex workers in South Africa, and other barriers experienced by sex workers as a result of the criminalisation of sex work. The Asijki Coalition uses workshops, advocacy, and creative activism to spread awareness on the many issues that affect sex workers and to call for the full decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa - the coalition has specifically stated that for them, full decriminalisation means the decriminalisation of both sex worker and client such as the approach used in New Zealand, and not the

Nordic model The Nordic model comprises the economic and social policies as well as typical cultural practices common to the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). This includes a comprehensive welfare state and multi-level coll ...

Activism

Asijiki Coalition is active in both

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

and high level advocacy efforts, as well as some notable examples of artistic or creative activism. In 2018, Asijiki partnered with the Central Methodist Mission on

Greenmarket Square Greenmarket Square is a historical square in the centre of old Cape Town, South Africa. The square was built in 1696, when a burgher watch house was erected. Over the years, the square has served as a slave market, a vegetable market, a parking l ...

in central Cape Town to display a banner reading "Jesus was the first to decriminalise sex work". In 2019, the coalition presented a giant

sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...

to South Africa's then newly elected President Cyril Ramaphosa to thank him for, and remind him of, commitments he had made to decriminalise sex work in South Africa. Asijiki was also actively involved in placing pressure on South Africa's Department of Justice and Constitutional Development regarding the delay in publishing the final South African Law Reform Commission's report on sex work in South Africa but was dismayed by the content of that final report. The Coalition engages with university groups, researchers, Chapter 9 institutions, as well as participating in more traditional forms of activism such as

picketing Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pick ...

and protest.

Asijiki Awards

A further form of activism used by the Asijiki Coalition is the presentation of the Asijiki Awards. These awards are presented to allies as well as prominent public figures or organisations that have supported decriminalisation in South Africa. In 2016, the Asijiki Award for Courage & Initiative was presented to

Sir Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

at the 2016 International AIDS Conference in Durban. In 2019, the Asijiki Award for Solidarity & Hard Work was presented to South Africa's #TotalShutdown Movement, and the Asijiki Award for Service & Humanity was presented to retired Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron.

Gallery

File:Sex_Work_Promise_-_South_Africa.jpg, Image of a red umbrella with the words 'sex work promise' on it, against a backdrop of South African flags. File:Sex_Work_Promise_Protest.jpg, Red umbrellas with "sex work is work" written on them, against the backdrop of the SA flags outside South Africa's Parliament in Cape Town. File:Sex_Worker_Rights_are_Human_Rights.jpg, Protestors protesting for the full decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa

References

External links

* {{official website, asijiki.org.za Human rights organisations based in South Africa Prostitution in South Africa Trade unions in South Africa Sex worker organizations