The potential impact of the proposal to criminalise buyers and sellers of sex on the human rights of female sex workers in Uganda

Abstract

The Sexual Offences Bill, 2024 proposes to criminalise not only the seller of sex, but also the buyer. This study explores the potential impact of this proposed criminalisation on the human rights of FSWs in Uganda. Drawing on legal analysis, interviews, and a comparative approach, the research examines how this punitive law if passed into law, could affect the safety, health, and dignity of women engaged in sex work. While framed as efforts to curb exploitation and trafficking, criminalisation of sex work may inadvertently increase stigma, limit access to key essential services, and increase vulnerability to violence. This paper highlights the tensions that exist within criminalisation through feminist and human rights-based lenses. Ultimately, the study calls for a human rights-based approach that centres the voices and lived experiences of FSWs in shaping policy and legal reform in Uganda.