Hands Off 2 partners work to reduce violence against sex workers at community, national and regional level. Outcomes of partners in South Africa include an empowered and resilient national sex worker movement, increase access to justice, a more enabling environment for sex workers and sex workers protected by law enforcement.

The programme’s primary target group is female, male and transgender sex workers, meaning those who receive money or goods in exchange for sexual services, either regularly or occasionally. SWEAT and Sisonke also target high-level politicians, policy makers and the general public with their activities.

Due to the illegal status of sex work, sex workers experience difficulties in accessing health, social services and in seeking justice and legal compensation. HIV prevalence amongst sex workers is disproportionally high (57.7 percent) and more than a third of HIV positive sex workers do not have regular access to treatment.

Most sex workers in South Africa are female. Around four percent of sex workers is transgender and five percent are male sex workers. Sex workers mostly work from streets, in brothels and through escort agencies as well as from truck stops and the informal red light districts known in all major cities.