Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce

Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce SWEAT is South Africa's leading s*x worker rights organisation at the forefront of s*x worker advocacy, human rights defence and mobilisation.

SWEAT advocates for law reform of the s*x work industry in South Africa, through its support for total decriminalisation of adult s*x work. We also offer services through outreach, workshops and events and we have a human rights defense project. We believe in the human rights of s*x workers, we believe that women and men in s*x work have the right to self determination and dignity. SWEAT has offic

es in Cape Town but provides support for s*x workers nationally through strategic partnerships with other organisations and networks.

A heartfelt thank you to. Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng for her years of service as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to H...
18/06/2026

A heartfelt thank you to. Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng for her years of service as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health and for her unwavering commitment to justice, dignity, and bodily autonomy.

For many of us, Dr Tlaleng is not only a global champion for s*xual and reproductive health and rights, but also our former Board Chair, whose leadership, wisdom, and fierce belief in community-led advocacy helped shape and strengthen our movement.

Thank you for always reminding the world that health is a human right, and that no one (especially those pushed to the margins) should be left behind. Your voice has amplified the realities of s*x workers, women, young people, LGBTQIA+ communities, and so many others whose rights and humanity are too often contested.

Thank you for leading with courage, compassion, and conviction. Your tenure as UN Special Rapporteur may have come to an end, but your legacy will continue to inspire us as we reclaim power and continue the fight for decriminalisation, dignity, and justice for all.

We celebrate you, we honour you, and we thank you.

Aluta continua. ❤️✊🏾🥼 🩺

*xworknow
*xWethu

S*x workers negotiate boundaries.S*x workers carry condoms.S*x workers talk about s*xual health.Jonasi should have taken...
17/06/2026

S*x workers negotiate boundaries.

S*x workers carry condoms.

S*x workers talk about s*xual health.

Jonasi should have taken notes.

S*x workers know that protection is power.

Jonasi thought charm was enough.

Don't be Jonasi. 🚫

Condomise.

*x *xworkiswork

The youth of 1976 did not risk their lives so that freedom could be selective.Yet here we are.We celebrate democracy. We...
16/06/2026

The youth of 1976 did not risk their lives so that freedom could be selective.

Yet here we are.

We celebrate democracy. We celebrate human rights. We celebrate freedom. But for many people, freedom in South Africa still comes with a list of conditions.

S*x workers are still criminalised for trying to survive. They are still exposed to violence, exploitation, and abuse while being denied the full protection of the law. They are still told that their lives, their labour, and their safety matter less.

LGBTQIA+ people are promised equality on paper, yet many continue to face discrimination, violence, rejection, and hate simply for existing.

We are told South Africa is free. The question is: free for whom?

The spirit of 1976 was never about making some people comfortable while others remain criminalised, excluded, and left behind. It was about challenging systems of oppression, questioning injustice, and refusing to accept that some lives matter more than others.

So as we honour the youth who fought for liberation, let us be honest about the work that remains.

Freedom is incomplete while s*x workers are still criminalised.

Freedom is incomplete while LGBTQIA+ people are still targeted for who they are.

Freedom is incomplete while people must fight every day for dignity, safety, and recognition of their humanity.

The youth of 1976 handed us a struggle, not a finished project.

The question is whether we have the courage to continue it.

1976 taught us that unjust laws can and must be challenged. Criminalisation is not freedom. Stigma is not freedom. Violence is not freedom. We owe the youth of 1976 more than remembrance, we owe them the courage to finish what they started.

*xWork *xWorkIsWork

Today we stand in solidarity with s*x workers across the world as we honor International S*x Workers’ Rights Day during ...
02/06/2026

Today we stand in solidarity with s*x workers across the world as we honor International S*x Workers’ Rights Day during Pride Month. ❤️🏳️‍🌈

This month reminds us that the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights and s*x workers’ rights has always been connected through resistance, survival, freedom, and the demand to live with dignity and without fear.

S*x workers deserve safety, healthcare, protection, respect, equality, and human rights, free from violence, stigma, discrimination, and criminalization.

We are human. We are powerful. We are deserving of love, justice, and liberation.

Today we celebrate the resilience, courage, and voices of s*x workers everywhere while continuing to reclaim power and create safer spaces for all marginalized communities.

Nothing for us without us. ✊🏽❤️🏳️‍🌈

*xWorkersRightsDay *xWorkersRightsAreHumanRights *xWorkNow *xWorkers ***rAndProud

SWEAT will be part of a critical conversation on practices of s*xual freedom — hosted by the UWC Chair for Gender, Trans...
29/04/2026

SWEAT will be part of a critical conversation on practices of s*xual freedom — hosted by the UWC Chair for Gender, Transformation and Worldmaking in collaboration with the Department of Criminal Justice and Procedure, Law Faculty.

This seminar brings together researchers, activists, and organisers to reflect on power, freedom, and lived realities — including the work of SWEAT.

🎬 The session will include snippets from the Womxn Working documentary, offering an intimate look into the lives, labour, and resistance of s*x workers.

We’ll also be naming what’s often left unsaid:
the deepening funding crisis facing s*x worker rights movements — and what that means for access to services, safety, and sustained advocacy.

📍 Centre for Humanities Research, Greatmore, Woodstock
🗓️ Monday, 4 May
🕛 12:00–14:00 RSVP here: https://forms.gle/6GCzCYkiBfEtQjaM9

Asijiki Coalition Sisonke

We’re honoured to be part of Q***r Wellness Day 💛A day rooted in care, connection, and community—offering health service...
25/04/2026

We’re honoured to be part of Q***r Wellness Day 💛

A day rooted in care, connection, and community—
offering health services, support, shared space, and moments of joy.

S*x Worker Theatre, a diverse collective of s*x workers across identities and experiences, will share an intimate, collaborative & joyful performance of lived experience—through story, song, and movement.

We’re deeply grateful to Triangle Project for holding this space of service to the community, and for including us.

***rWellness *xworkertheatre

Asijiki Coalition

🚨 BREAKINGFollowing consultation led by The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ & CD) Deputy Minis...
09/04/2026

🚨 BREAKING

Following consultation led by The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ & CD) Deputy Minister Andries Nel, government has confirmed that s*x work decriminalisation does not require a new regulatory framework.

Departments are aligned that existing laws already provide for most areas of regulation, with only minor amendments needed.

This affirms what s*x workers have long said: s*x work can be governed within existing legal and labour systems — like any other work.

The process is moving forward. The Bill is being drafted.

Now, we need action.

📄 You can also read statement here: https://sweat.org.za/2026/04/09/government-confirms-readiness-to-move-ahead-with-s*x-work-decriminalisation/

*xWork

With deep thanks to Aotearoa New Zealand S*x Workers’ Collective, s*x workers, Members of Parliament, researchers, and a...
08/04/2026

With deep thanks to Aotearoa New Zealand S*x Workers’ Collective, s*x workers, Members of Parliament, researchers, and advocates across Aotearoa 🇳🇿

Thank you for your generosity, your honesty, and your leadership.

For sharing your time, your knowledge, and your lived realities of decriminalisation.

We leave with sharper insight, stronger connections, and renewed urgency.

The work continues — together. ✊🏽🌍

Asijiki CoalitionThe Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ & CD)

SWEAT & Asijiki are in Aotearoa 🇳🇿 learning what decriminalisation looks like in practice.What if this was the norm in S...
30/03/2026

SWEAT & Asijiki are in Aotearoa 🇳🇿 learning what decriminalisation looks like in practice.

What if this was the norm in South Africa?

Clear, visible guidelines that centre consent, safety, and accountability — for both s*x workers and clients.

Under New Zealand’s decriminalised framework, these protections are part of everyday working conditions: safer s*x requirements, consequences for coercion, and recognition of consent violations as serious offences.

It’s a reminder that decriminalisation is not just about removing laws — it’s about creating conditions where s*x workers can work with dignity, protection, and agency.

This is what is possible.

South Africa deserves the same. ✊🏽

*xWorkNow

Asijiki Coalition The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ & CD)

Address

217 Lower Main Road, Observatory
Cape Town
7925

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

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