Civil society organization including the Front line Defenders and the Africa sex worker alliance early today afternoon at a Nairobi Hotel launched a report outlining the atrocities the defenders of sex worker rights face while carrying their day to day income generating activities. Since the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic the Ministries of Health in various jurisdictions has issued various guidelines to curb the spread of the pandemic.
This has in turn had adverse effects on the lives of various commercial sex workers and put those championing for the rights of such workers at risk. The report alleges that every month between 5- 6 commercial sex workers lose their lives in the hands of various laws enforcement agencies. Over 400 sex workers and defenders of sex workers. were interviewed in the creation of the report.
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While responding to questions from journalists on if they will be willing to pay tax should the commercial sex work be brought under the tax bracket Ms Grace Kamau said;
” The Government must first remove sections in the penal code which criminalizes sex work, then we can have a discussion on how we can pay tax and support the economy.
The International Commission for Jurists (ICJ) is currently working to remove such provisions in the penal code through advocating for removal of petty offenses in the penal code.
