South Africa announced on Friday that it will decriminalize sex work in order to combat high levels of crime against women in a country with one of the highest HIV caseloads in the world.
Under proposed legislation from the Justice Ministry, the sale and purchase of sexual services will no longer be considered a crime.
According to advocacy groups, the country has over 150,000 sex workers.
“Decriminalization is hoped to reduce human rights violations against sex workers,” Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said at a press conference.
“It would also mean better access to health care, better working conditions, and less discrimination and stigma for sex workers.”
South Africa is experiencing an increase in violence against women.
Between July and September, police minister Bheki Cele reported a double-digit increase in female murders, with nearly 1,000 women killed.
Rapes were also up 11 percent during the period, with 10,000 cases reported during the same period.
“With sex workers no longer labeled as criminals, they can work much better with police to combat violence,” sex worker rights organization SWEAT wrote on Facebook, hailing the bill as “incredible news.”
Some recent gruesome incidents have shocked the nation, including the October recovery of half a dozen bodies, some of which were thought to be missing sex workers, at a building in Johannesburg.
South Africa’s post-apartheid constitution is among the world’s most liberal, allowing for progressive abortion and same-sex marriage laws, but sex work has long been a contentious issue.
