3:56pm UK, Monday June 21, 2010 - Skynews
Emma Hurd, Africa correspondent
They had hoped to cash in on the influx of foreign visitors, but
prostitutes in Johannesburg say the fans are being scared away.
"We have children to support," two women told Sky News in the
city's red light district.
"We came here from the Transkei to try to make some money, but
it's tough," they said.
Fears over HIV may have contributed to the slump in trade. Most
of the women we spoke to claimed to practise safe sex - but we
found several who were willing to forego a condom.
"In the age of AIDS it's a risk," one woman said. "You will pay
for sex without a condom with me, you will pay a big price," she
said.
The prostitutes working the streets of Johannesburg charge
around £3. Those who operate in the many hotel brothels earn just a
few pounds more.
The women claim the police crackdown has been violent.
Thandi - a sex worker in Johannesburg for 20 years - said she
had been subjected to "harassment, abuse and rape".
"They want bribes," she said. "If we can't pay, they have sex
with us and they don't pay. I call that rape."
The hard line approach has also affected efforts to protect the
women from the health risks of their work.
Witwatersrand University runs a mobile clinic in the red light
district of Johannesburg and the number of sex workers using the
service, including free tests for HIV and STDs, has dropped
dramatically in recent weeks.
"The women have been forced from the streets and if we can't
find them we can't treat them," Ellen Crabtree, a British volunteer
with VSO said.
Ellen, a former marketing consultant from Edinburgh, is
providing training for Johannesburg's sex workers to help them exit
the profession. Several of the women she's taught have now found
different jobs.
But in a city where the unemployment rate is around 25%, many of
the sex workers have no option but to work the streets to support
their families.
After hoping for riches during the World Cup, they are now
waiting for the tournament to end.