Thesis submitted for fifty percent completion of the degree of Master of
Management in the field of Public Policy at the University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg.
28 March 2017 / In South Africa, sex work is illegal, and sex workers have operated in the
shadows for decades, although the profession has been around for centuries. Sex
workers are marginalised and vulnerable which affects their power and
authority to participate in public policy deliberations. Their ability to participate
in community forums and public discussions about issues that affect them is
limited mainly due to their lack of agency, social exclusion and stigma.
Ultimately, their equality in the democracy they live is compromised due to
social norms, cultural values and religion. This study investigated the barriers
that sex workers face to participate in public policy making.
This research was a basic interpretive qualitative study which was
conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa. Data was collected using structured
and semi structured tools through focus group discussions with active sex
workers and key informant interviews with policy makers, academics and legal
experts. The data was collected and analysed through an exploratory lens that
allowed a story to unfold and used people’s experiences to shed light on what
these barriers were.
The results from the study concluded that sex workers are in fact socially
excluded within the communities they live and this exclusion fuels internal and
external stigma. This structurally decreases their human and social agency and
systematically excludes their voices, human rights, legitimate policy needs and
opinions from public policy making processes within their communities. In order
to address this structural disadvantage, an advanced form of behaviour change
of communities, policy makers and public service personnel is recommended. / MT2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/23128 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Mienies, Keith Adrian |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (125 leaves), application/pdf |
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