Sex workers have appealed for funds to buy food items, pay legal fees for those arrested and for healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kenya Sex Workers Alliance, an organisation that facilitates the improvement of human rights for all sex workers, has started emergency fundraising for 100 days.
They have had collected about Sh8,000 from five supporters by Thursday.
"Sex workers community faces challenges such as violation of health and human rights, lack of access to health services and violence meted out on them by their clients, the public and law enforcement officers," Keswa said.
Additionally, the government's restrictive measures to fight the spread of coronavirus had economically affected sex workers as the majority rely on daily wages for upkeep, the group said.
A report by the UN and Social Justice Centre Working Group reported that sex workers are victims of violence and harassment by police during the curfew. "With the curfew hours of 7pm to 5am imposed, most clients are shy to walk into brothels and hotspots for fear of being seen during the day, a statement by the alliance said.
Sex workers are among key populations at risk during pandemics such as Covid-19. They depend heavily on the informal economy and have inadequate access to social services or political influence.
Others are those who have limited capacities and opportunities to cope and little or no access to technology.
These vulnerabilities show how women's roles related to productive, reproductive and community managing tasks place them at higher risk of contracting the virus.
“Sex workers suffer double stigmatisation that leads to psychosocial effects, poor adherence to comprehensive treatment and preventive care using ARVs or PrEP, exposing majority to reinfections that largely contribute to the country's HIV prevalence," the alliance said.
Sex workers are also faced with a challenge of transportation to friendly healthcare facilities. "The transport industry has hiked fares to an amount that is very high given that sex worker-friendly clinics and other general health facilities are far, therefore, they require transport to and from, leading to defaults in adherence," they said.
The alliance said the best way to ensure sex workers are able to work in ways that preserve their safety and well-being was access to social services and financial resources during difficult times. Sex work remains illegal in Kenya.
Edited by Henry Makori
