Protect the rights of sex workers, says advocacy group
The Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce says a Durban woman who was murdered three years ago was an easy target because of her line of work.
The sex workers' rights group has been reacting to the conviction of four people on Thursday for their involvement in the beheading of Desiree Murugan in Shallcross in 2014.
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Three teenagers were charged with Murugan's murder.
Among the group is a sangoma, who the court heard had ordered the head of an Indian, white or coloured woman.
Sweat spokesperson, Sally Jean Shackleton says sex workers are vulnerable and need to be protected.
"We have to address this stigma. The reason why these perpetrators picked on this particular woman is because she is a sex worker and they made assumptions about her that her life is not as worthwhile as other people's lives.
"They also pick on sex workers because they are easy targets in the sense that they often work at night and in dangerous conditions. We feel decriminalisation will assist us in ensuring the spaces that sex workers work in are safer," she said.