Female sex workers marched in the streets of the capital Lilongwe against a government decision to impose a night curfew and closure of bars which they say have serious economic implications on their lives.
They are asking government to review the decisions and allow them to operate normally, saying they provide “essential services.”
The protests were disrupted after the Lilongwe District Commissioner refused to receive their petition, forcing them to go to Lilongwe City Council instead.
Executive Director for the Female Sex Workers’ Association, Zinenani Majawa, says the on-going street protests in Lilongwe are also meant to bring to the attention of the public issues of that stigma related to sex work.
She, particularly, mentions police abuse of sex workers as an item high on the list.
Majawa says police officers sexually abuse prostitutes.