Our work

Our work

We build sex worker unity, advocate for our rights, and provide members with legal and social assistance

Sisonke envisions a South Africa where sex work is recognized as legitimate work, where the health and human rights of sex workers are ensured. Our mission is to unite sex workers, improve our living and working conditions, and fight for equal access to basic human rights.

  • We do not want to be labelled as criminals.
  • We want criminalization of sex work to be repealed.
  • We want our rights to be respected like any other person in South Africa.
  • We want sex work to be recognized as work and a legitimate form of income in South Africa.
  • We demand the right to make a living through a decriminalized trade.

We focus on sex worker support and advocacy

Decriminalize sex work

We advocate for the decriminalization of adult-consented sex work in South Africa.

Know your rights

We strive for our members to know their rights and freedoms: the same rights and freedoms as inscribed in the country’s Bill of Rights, protected by the Constitution of a secular country, South Africa.

Health and wellbeing

We promote a healthy lifestyle for our members. Having a healthy lifestyle contributes to our well-being.

We organize marches, support members at court, report human rights violations, and work with partners such as Asijiki and the South African National Aids Council (SANAC). We do referrals to partners for legal advice, psychosocial support, and health services.

How we assists sex workers to navigate issues

We act against issues experienced by sex workers by getting the right people to take the right action.

Are you looking for someone to talk to about something that happened at work or due to work? Schedule an appointment for guidance on your next steps.

Through workshops, outreach, advocacy, and media engagement we amplify the voices of sex workers, create a unified community of sex workers, promote sex workers’ rights, and foster positive change within the community.

Member training and sensitization training

Branches have peer educators who conduct outreach, workshops, and data collection. They collaborate with health and police services, while also working together with partner organisations.

Sisonke Creative Space

Creative Space meetings, provide a safe environment for sharing stories, addressing issues, and exchanging information on Sisonke and partner organizations’ services. These meetings promote equality and offer opportunities for training and becoming peer educators. Hosted monthly by provincial branches, they facilitate engagement in human rights and professional development.

Outreach and following up on sex workers issues

Sisonke members collaborate through branches to reach sex workers province-wide, addressing their recorded concerns and taking necessary action. For a wider reach branches appoint steering committees and ambassadors, and forge relations with paralegals to lead and assist with legal matters. The collective effort aims to support sex workers in various locations and resolve their issues timeously.

Getting our issues in the media

Through the media liaison officer who supports us to take up our issues in the local media, and who respond to inquiries from the media. As Sisonke we also have a quarterly newsletter, Izwi Lethu written by Sisonke staff and members and distributed at our Creative Space meetings, partner organizations and available at our branches and online.

Influencing policy discussions

We comment on policy and legal reforms for the decriminalization of sex work. We know that together we have a voice. United we stand for our rights.