MPhil study projects

Exploring the financial vulnerabilities of sex workers during the Covid-19 pandemic in Lesotho: Implications for HIV/Aids

Student: Hlapase Patricia Tesele

Country: Lesotho

The Covid-19 pandemic harmed global health outcomes and collapsed many economies, which compromised livelihoods for many people. This study investigated the financial vulnerabilities of women in Lesotho who use sex work as a means of obtaining livelihoods or supplementing income during and after Covid-19 and how their financial burdens are dragging back the strategies against HIV/Aids. The pandemic amplified the financial vulnerabilities of many women who were unemployed, retrenched or reduced to working for fewer hours for lower incomes, positioning sex work as a way of making an income.

This qualitative study utilised the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF) to investigate the survival strategies of female sex workers (FSWs). It employed various methods such as documentary study, in-depth interviews, transect walks, observation and focus group discussions.

The illegality of sex work creates multifaced levels of oppression among FSWs, resulting in poor health and economic outcomes. While commercial FSWs are ostracised on religious, cultural and patriarchal grounds, they provide services to a wide range of community members secretly, often through unprotected sex, which increases the risk of HIV and other STI infection. The findings highlight a need for a multistakeholder framework or approach to raising awareness in communities about commercial sex work and responsible behaviour.

December 2024

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