Selebi's sex idea shot down

2007-03-31 17:22

Johannesburg - National police commissioner Jackie Selebi's suggestion to legalise prostitution and public drinking during the 2010 Soccer World Cup was "appalling", Doctors for Life International (DFL) said on Saturday.

"DFL is therefore calling on government to take immediate action against the sexual exploitation of women and children for the 2010 World Cup," said spokesperson Debbie Toughey.

Selebi made the suggestion to the National Assembly's Safety and Security Committee in Parliament this week.

Toughey said approximately 40 000 women and children were trafficked into Germany to accommodate the demand for sex during the tournament. She said the same could be expected to happen in South Africa as women and children would be used as merchandise to cash in on the event.

"Prostitution is an act of violence, which is intrinsically harmful and traumatising to people in prostitution."

Selebi said the two problems were "controlled" during the world cup in Germany in 2006.

The overall HIV prevalence among prostitutes in South Africa was reportedly as high as 56%, almost twice the level of the general population, added Toughey.

- SAPA