Persistent job losses in the clothing and textile industry over the past few years have forced some desperate women to go into sex work.
A local non-governmental organisation advocating for the rights of sex work, the Key Affected Populations Alliance of Lesotho (KAPAL) says desperate and impecunious former textile workers were resorting to alternative means of survival due to the prevailing socio-economic challenges.
These alternatives more often than not include sex work, where individuals turn to taverns, streets, or social media to connect with potential clients.
According to an Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance report of 2019, there are about 7,500 female sex workers in the Maseru, Leribe, Mafeteng, and Botha-Bothe districts only. However, this figure might have risen due to massive job retrenchments across the country since then.
KAPAL executive director Lepheana Mosooane, says the choice to engage in sex work is frequently driven by lack of job opportunities, limited skills, and intense competition in the job market.
He said sex workers are sometimes compelled to accept clients and engage in risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex, due to immediate need for money.
This can result in situations where clients refuse to pay or become violent, leading to trauma and physical altercations, he noted.
Additionally, there is a prevailing stigma that links sex work with HIV/AIDS transmission, further marginalising those involved.
“The increasing cost of living exacerbates these challenges, pushing individuals to seek additional sources of income,” Mosooane said.
According to an African Development Bank report, Lesotho’s economic growth slowed to an estimated 0.9 percent in 2023 from 1.3 percent in 2022, as manufacturing and domestic demand took a hit.
The report titled ‘Driving Lesotho’s Transformation, The Reform of the Global Financial Architecture’ indicates that the lacklustre economic growth of recent years was attributed to the challenges facing Lesotho’s textile industry, which accounts for about 21 percent of Gross Domestic Product.
Mosooane pointed out that urban migration, particularly during periods of factory job recruitment, also contribute to the rise in sex work as some women join this trade after failing to secure employment.
In yet other cases, workers often return to their communities after being laid off and turning to sex work to sustain themselves, he said.
He added: “The proliferation of tertiary institutions has also influenced this trend. Some students resort to sex work to cover living expenses while studying, highlighting the economic pressures faced by many.”
KAPAL’s key objectives include sensitisation of communities, government institutes and ministries, relevant stakeholders and gatekeepers; advocacy for legalisation of sex work and inclusion of sex work in the labour statutes.
It also fights stigma and discrimination against sex workers; fighting violence against sex workers and advocating for the human rights and health rights of sex workers; providing support to and assisting sex workers and particularly those who have fallen victim of abuse, violence and discrimination on the basis of their work.
Sex work is illegal in Lesotho. Section 55 of the Penal Code Act 2010, criminalises prostitution.
This legislation has been identified as one of the chief reasons why sex workers in Lesotho endure physical and sexual abuse from their clients and the country’s police officers.
Section 55(2) of Penal Code Act 2010 reads: “A person who incites, instigates or engages or procures another to engage, either in Lesotho or elsewhere in prostitution, commits an offence”.
Section 55(1) describes a prostitute as a person who engages in sexual activity for payment, while Section 55(4) reads: “A person who lives with or habitually associates with a prostitute, in such a manner as to show aiding or compelling prostitution for commercial gain, commits an offence”.
KAPAL has persistently called for the nullification of this legislation, arguing that it is responsible for sex workers suffering in silence and not reporting abuse for fear of being prosecuted.
Thirty-five-year old, Rethabile Masiu (not real name) was employed at one of Lesotho’s leading textile firms for about 10 years before she was retrenched in 2022 along with thousands others.
Although the job did not pay well, it enabled Masiu to support herself and her two children without any worries.
Severe economic difficulties owing to declined orders from international buyers including the United States forced the company to shut down.
“Despite our pleas to management and the government to save our jobs, the factory announced a mass retrenchment exercise.
“I was among those laid off. With limited savings, I found myself in a dire financial situation and forced into sex work.
“Despite fully knowing the dangers and stigma associated with this kind of work, I found it immediate and accessible,” she told theReporter in an interview this week.
Masiu said she discreetly entered the sex work sector, taking on clients through online platforms and local networks.
She had hoped that this would be a temporary solution until she could find more stable job or until the economic situation in the country improved, but this was not the case. Several years after she was laid off, she’s still stuck in sex work.
In addition to being forced to swallow her pride, Masiu said she also struggled with the emotional toll and the fear of judgment from her community.
However, despite these difficulties, she continues to ply her trade to provide for her family.
“In the meantime, I am focused on balancing my immediate financial needs with the hope that I will quit sex work as soon as my situation improves,” she added.
A legislator of the opposition All Basotho Convention, ‘Maleleka Malakane, recently urged the government to implement mitigating measures in relation to the loss of jobs that is taking place in factories in Lesotho, as this perpetuates the already high unemployment rate and abject poverty among Basotho.
Malakane said the job losses have also put Basotho women at risk of diseases and unplanned pregnancies, as some have turned to sex work to eke out a living.
