Embrace Dignity

20/08/2026

Help us raise funds to afford Mickey the send off she deserves.
Donating options:
Embrace Dignity website: https://embracedignity.co.za/honouring-mickey

BackABuddy: https://embracedignity.co.za/honouring-mickey

Send money directly to Mickey's Daughter:
Bank:FNB/RMB
Account Holder: Milisa Meji
Account Type: Savings
Account Number: 62901968604
Branch Code: 250655
Paysharp ID:0815404631@FNB

Embrace Dignity campaigns for the Sankara Equality Law in South Africa.

20/08/2026

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FACT: Decriminalising prostitution increases human trafficking

Researchers from the LSE did a study of 150 countries and found that there’s more human trafficking where prostitution is legal/decriminalised. A study for the European Parliament came to the same conclusion, and so does economic theory.

This isn’t surprising when we consider that one of the key purposes of the criminal law is to make clear the boundaries of what is and isn’t acceptable. So, we have laws against theft and driving dangerously, and violence against people, and even animals, because these behaviours conflict with the interests of a modern democratic society.

When something that was previously a criminal offence is made legal, it sends out the message that society now considers the former offence to be acceptable. This invariably leads to more people engaging in that behaviour.

So, when a country decriminalises the s*x trade, it is announcing that buying s*xual access to other people and profiting from their prostitution are now considered acceptable. This inevitably leads to more men buying s*x more frequently, and more pimps and brothel keepers wanting to get their hands on all that extra money.

But there aren’t enough women to fill this increased demand, because women who have genuine choices don’t generally choose to go into prostitution. This means that those who want to cash in on this extra money have to use coercion, force, trickery, or taking advantage of (mostly) young women’s vulnerabilities to recruit and retain women and girls in prostitution. This fits the United Nations definition of s*x trafficking.

And if you have any doubt about the amount of money that can be made, consider the case of Phillip Stubbs, who was found guilty of two counts of brothel keeping at Bristol Crown Court in 2015. When the police raided his home they discovered more than 100 cars – including Mercedes, Bentleys, and Lamborghinis – in a temperature controlled basement, as well as an indoor swimming pool. He had made a massive fortune from exploiting the prostitution of women in brothels in the Bristol area.

Read more: https://nordicmodelnow.org/facts-about-prostitution/fact-decriminalising-prostitution-increases-human-trafficking/

20/08/2026

We will be remembering our colleague, sister, and dear friend next week. Feel free to join. *xualexploitation

N:B People interested in attending the funeral in the Eastern Cape will have to contact the family directly. 💐

19/08/2026

The Sankara Equality Law is the name used by Embrace Dignity for a proposed South African legal reform model based on the principles of equality, dignity, and ending the commodification of human beings, particularly in relation to prostitution and c *xualexploitation ommercial s*xual exploitation.

18/08/2026

Honouring Mickey Meji 💜

We remember Mickey Meji — a courageous survivor voice, advocate, and champion for dignity and equality.

Her leadership and commitment to the Sankara Equality Law movement will continue to inspire us.

As we prepare to give Mickey the dignified farewell she deserves, we invite you to stand with her family and help honour her legacy.

💜 Donate today: https://embracedignity.co.za/donate

Dignity. Equality. Justice.

17/08/2026

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14/08/2026

Embrace Dignity and The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women mourn the loss of the extraordinary Nomonde Mihlali (“Mickey”) Meji, a visionary human rights leader whose efforts to secure equality for women and girls extended far beyond her homeland of South Africa. A survivor of the prostitution system, Mickey was a fearless advocate who never shied away from speaking truth to power - whether at the highest levels of the South African government or the United Nations - about the brutality of the s*x trade and the urgency to end it. Mickey helped people recognize that the prostitution system is an outgrowth of South Africa’s colonial past and apartheid, as well as a manifestation of inequality and misogyny.

Mickey was a force in the survivor-led movement in South Africa, joining Embrace Dignity in urging the South African government to pass the Sankara Equality Law, a framework that ends the criminalization of women in prostitution, offering them pathways out of the s*x trade, and holding all exploiters – including s*x buyers – accountable for the devastating harm they cause. Mickey believed that "Women in prostitution do not wake up one day and “choose” to be prostituted. Prostitution is chosen for them by our colonial past and apartheid, persistent inequalities, poverty, past s*xual and physical abuse, the pimps who take advantage of our vulnerabilities and the men who buy us in prostitution."

Throughout her many years of tireless advocacy, Mickey never lost sight of her foundational dream for women in prostitution and her survivor sisters: in her words, “…a life free from oppression, patriarchy, and economic inequalities. A life where they have access to a wider array of dignified and decent employment options, where they can participate as citizens...South Africa cannot become a country where prostitution is what is left for us when everything else is taken away. Black women and girls deserve justice and equality, not the s*x trade.”

The loss of Mickey to her three children, her family, her friends, and the global movement to end the s*x trade and s*xual exploitation is immeasurable. We will continue the fight in her memory, and on behalf of all survivors around the world who Mickey loved so dearly and fought for so fiercely.

13/08/2026

Meet Our Team: Dr Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge 🎓✊🏾

This Women's month, we celebrate not only an extraordinary milestone, but the remarkable woman behind it.

Congratulations to our Founder and Executive Director, Dr Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, on receiving the Degree of Doctor of the University, honoris causa, from the University of Strathclyde.🎓

For more than four decades, Nozizwe has placed justice, equality and human dignity at the centre of her life and work. Her journey began during apartheid, when she became involved in the liberation struggle and helped establish the Natal Organisation of Women. She was among the women who participated in South Africa's transition to democracy and went on to serve 15 years in Parliament, including as South Africa's first woman Deputy Minister of Defence, Deputy Minister of Health and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

As Deputy Minister of Health, she became a powerful voice confronting the HIV/AIDS crisis at a time when speaking openly about the epidemic meant challenging political power. Her commitment to evidence, accountability and the lives of vulnerable people came at a personal cost.

But Nozizwe's work did not end when she left Parliament. She carried the same commitment to justice into peacebuilding, international advocacy and civil society, including through her leadership of the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva and her work with the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.

And it ultimately brought her to Embrace Dignity

Here, that lifelong commitment takes another form: standing alongside survivors, challenging the exploitation and commodification of women's bodies, and advocating for a society in which women and girls can live with dignity, equality, freedom and real choices. From the struggle against apartheid, to the struggle for health justice, to the struggle for women's economic emancipation and freedom from exploitation, there is a clear thread running through Nozizwe's life's work:

Dignity is not negotiable.

The University of Strathclyde recognised her for a lifetime of principled leadership and public service. We know her as a leader who continues to turn conviction into action.

As Nozizwe reminded graduating students at Strathclyde: “Let your learning become courage. Let your success become service. Let your empathy become solidarity.”

Congratulations, Dr Nozizwe. 🎓❤️

27/07/2026

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