Summary:

• Reportedly, six women have been killed in Sembabule, and 15 murdered in areas of Kawempe, Bwaise, Kalangala, and Wakiso, all of whom were sex workers in their respective areas.

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KAMPALA, (Examiner) – Sex workers in parts of Kawempe, Bwaise, Kalangala, and Sembabule are facing a new wave of killings by their clients, they revealed.

Reportedly, six women have been killed in Sembabule, and 15 murdered in areas of Kawempe, Bwaise, Kalangala, and Wakiso, all of whom were sex workers in their respective areas.

This revelation was made during a conference by the Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) at their headquarters in Nabulagala on Tuesday, June 11, which brought together female activists and sex workers in Kampala.

At the conference, women reported that in most cases, it is their clients who harm them after arguments over price, as well as terms and conditions previously agreed upon.

Executive Director of AWAC, Macklean Kyomya, mentioned that these women should not be harassed because of the work they do, even if it brings them close to wrongdoers as they make a living.

“This is a vulnerable group of people who are endangered. They face a lot of assault from their clients. In the name of making money, they invite in anyone and when one fails to pay, disagreements turn into fights which turn into murder,” Kyomya explained.

Additionally, Kyomya noted that women face hardships when they turn to the police, as they are judged because of the work they do and are therefore not helped.

“Once the police learn that the woman is a sex worker, they send them away or, once arrested, they are asked for sex and money in exchange for their freedom. So, this group of people has been mistreated and left to die without justice because of their work,” Kyomya added.

Angel Nakalanzi, a sex worker in Bwaise, explained how she was arrested and accused of murder because her client died in her room. She said the police grabbed and detained her without questioning her lodge manager about the incident.

“What hurts is that the lodge managers are out of the picture when something happens. I was arrested and accused of stealing the man’s money, yet when reports came back from Mulago, the man had underlying medical conditions,” Nakalanzi said.

Another sex worker, Clare Nakiguli, who is deaf and from Kawempe, mentioned that she faces challenges with clients who take advantage of her disability and do not live up to their end of the agreement. She says the police are not helpful to people like her.

Community Liaison Officer at Uganda Police Force, Conrad Muzoora, discouraged the act of killing, assaulting, and raping sex workers, saying everyone’s life matters regardless of their occupation.

According to Muzoora, perpetrators should be dealt with accordingly and women should get justice despite the job they do.

“So, if we are discouraging sex work, what alternatives are we putting in place? We should skill and train these people to do different things. Instead of pushing them away, let’s empower them. The life of every Ugandan matters, and mindset change is key,” Muzoora said.

Decriminalizing and Inclusion

AWAC officials say decriminalizing sex work means sex workers are more likely to live without stigma, social exclusion, and fear of violence. They, therefore, urged authorities to prioritize the protection of marginalized women, including sex workers, who are disproportionately exposed to multiple and newer forms of targeted violence.

“We cannot claim to be advocating for Sustainable Development Goals, National Development Plan, and all HIV-related responses yet leave specific marginalized groups of the community, such as sex workers, behind,” said Edita Kamagara, the legal officer of AWAC.

She called for the inclusion of all women, including sex workers, in government projects, as they too contribute to the country’s development.

“Involve sex workers in government development projects like the parish development model and NAADs programs, since sex workers have actively running SACCOs. In a world where women, female sex workers, and sexual and gender-diverse people continue to face pervasive gender-based violence, investing in their human rights and sexual reproductive health rights is not just a moral imperative but a pathway to achieving true progress,” Kamagara added.

The Demographic and Health Survey 2016 indicates that women are more than twice as likely to experience violence compared to their male counterparts. The Uganda AIDS Commission (2019) reports that an estimated 130,359 female sex workers (FSWs) in Uganda operate in a criminalized environment.

This environment has exposed FSWs to a disproportionate burden of gender inequalities, HIV infection, stigma, discrimination, systemic exclusion, gender-based violence (GBV), mental health problems, and other life-threatening challenges.

According to a study on the prevalence and factors associated with major depression among female sex workers in post-conflict Gulu district, 47.7% of the FSWs had major depression, with more than half of those experiencing severe depression

About AWAC

The Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) is a feminist network of grassroots, Female Sex Worker (FSW) led groups in Uganda. Established in 2015, AWAC addresses FSWs’ Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and mental health needs, combats criminalization and stigmatization, tackles socio-economic deprivation, and defends civic space. AWAC also supports sex workers’ contributions to global and local development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Uganda’s National Development Plan.