First of its kind research has shown that SA has about 153,000 s ex workers. Commissioned by the South African National Aids Council (SANAC), the research used data gathered from sex worker interviews in 12 sites nationwide to estimate the country’s s ex worker population.
Of the 153,000 estimated sex workers active in the country, about 8,000 are men and about another 6,000 are tra nsgender, according to the research led by the S ex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT).
Health-e reports that the study found that s ex was for sale in a wide range of places including bro thels, at least one adult store and via local Internet sites.
At the 2014 Southern Africa HIV Clinicians Conference, SANAC CEO Fareed Abdullah quoted unpublished research indicating that HIV prevalence rates among some SA s ex workers could be more than 70%.
A July 2014 study published in the international medical journal The Lancet estimated that at least 6% of all new HIV infections in the country are linked to s ex work.
SA is just one of many countries in the region looking to use money from the international financing mechanism the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria to address vulnerable populations where HIV prevalence rates remain high.
"If HIV is about s ex, where else should we start looking (to address it) but in s ex work?" said Abdullah.
[link url="http://www.health-e.org.za/2015/01/13/study-estimates-153000-sex-workers-active-south-africa/"]Full Health-e report[/link]
[link url="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)60974-0/abstract"]The Lancet abstract[/link]