11 Mar Nairobi Sex Workers Hit Streets to Demand Rights
Kenyan sex workers marched through downtown Nairobi in broad daylight Tuesday to demand respect for their trade and better treatment from the government. Activists in the group say it is a human rights issue, but some onlookers were unconvinced.
Wearing black and orange masks to cover their faces, a group of about 40 men and women stopped traffic on a busy weekday morning to draw attention to a trade that is ever-present in the Kenyan capital, but rarely mentioned.
The protest followed similar demonstrations in the past few days in other countries, including South Africa and Namibia, as part of an international sex workers movement.
“It’s sex workers rights day today. We want the decriminalization of sex workers because of police harassment, stigma, access to health, access to services, justice – no justice.” – said Dottie, a 28-year-old former sex worker, is now an activist with the social justice organization Fahamu.
She said this protest is about basic human rights.
“In Kenya, and in other parts of Africa – in East Africa especially – sex workers are not recognized as human beings. They are discriminated upon,” she said. “They are harassed and they don’t have access to even legal services in the event that they’ve been assaulted, they’ve been raped.”