Sex work could soon be decriminalised
The proposals of the Bill respond to the list of interventions proposed in Pillar 3 (Protection, Safety and Justice) of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
Cabinet recently approved a few Amendment Bills during its ordinary meeting.
Among the Amendment Bills is the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill of 2022.
This is the bill aimed at the decriminalisation of the sale and purchase of adult sexual services.
Other bills include the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Bill of 2022, the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill of 2022, Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill of 2022, Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill of 2022, and the South African Post Office (SAPO) Amendment Bill.
The National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill of 2022 amends the National Sport and Recreation Act, of 1998 (Act 110 of 1998).
Following a recent cabinet meeting, Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, said in a recent media briefing that the Bill also amends certain definitions and among other interventions, it proposes the establishment of the Sports Arbitration Tribunal to resolve disputes between sport or recreation bodies.
“It outlines procedures to be followed for bidding for international events. The proposed amendments also empower the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture to make regulations for vulnerable groups to participate in sport and be protected from any form of sexual abuse or exploitation,” said Gungubele.
He added that the Bill has already been published for public consultation. Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill of 2022Cabinet has also approved the submission of the Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill of 2022 to Parliament for further processing.
Gungubele said the Bill amends Section 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996 to recognise South African Sign Language as one of the official languages.
“In May 2022, Cabinet approved the publication and giving of notice to this Bill, which together with the notice were subsequently gazetted in July 2022,” Gungubele said.
He added that cabinet further approved the publishing of Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill of 2022 for public comments.
“The Bill repeals the Sexual Offences Act (previously Immorality Act), 1957 (Act 23 of 1957), and Section 11 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offenses and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007 (Act 32 of 2007) to decriminalise the sale and purchase of adult sexual services. The proposals of the Bill respond to the list of interventions proposed in Pillar 3 (Protection, Safety and Justice) of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), which enjoins the criminal justice system to provide protection, safety and justice for survivors of GBVF, and to effectively hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. Once passed into law, the Bill will among others protect sex workers against abuse and exploitation,” he said.
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