The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) has initiated legislative reform of South Africa’s legal system’s response to sex work. A Discussion Paper (107) has been issued to deliberate on the implications of options relating to full criminalisation, regulation, legalising and decriminalisation of sex work. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is set to table legislation in this regard before Parliament, although it is not clear when this can be anticipated.
The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) together with Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) National Gender Committee invites you to participate in a consultative dialogue on sex work legislative reform. The purpose of this dialogue is to inform the development of our institutions’ individual positions on this issue, and our subsequent submissions to Parliament and supporting campaigns.
We seek to engage with stakeholders in this sector for information on the issues at stake, and recommendations on how best these can be taken up within legislation, as well as foster necessary partnerships and explore collaboration to take this initiative forward.
Date: 4 April 2012
Time: 9am – 2pm
Venue: CGE Head Office; Women’s Jail, Constitution Hill, Braamfontein
Lesego Mogomotsi
E-mail: Lesego@cge.org.za
Tel: 011 403 7182 by 27 March 2012 please one person per invite.
A draft programme is attached for your information.
Kindly advise whether your institution would be in a position to give the input indicated therein. We look forward to your response, and participation in this initiative.
Programme
9:00am: Registration
9:30am: Welcome, purpose and introductions, Commissioner Janine Hicks, CGE
9:45am: International responses to sex work, Anneke Meerkotter, South African Litigation Centre
10:15am: Sex Work: legislative options and consultative findings, Cathi Albertyn, SALRC
10:45am: Securing and protecting the rights of sex workers, Sally-Jean Shackleton, SWEAT and Mickey Meji, Sisonke
11:15am: Discussions and recommendations
1:00pm: Way forward and closure, TBC, COSATU
1:30pm: Lunch
