Independent Newspapers

A sex worker and a prospective client negotiate on a street in Durban. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa did not provide the influx of business that prostitutes were expecting. Photo: Ryan Adams

Pretoria - The number of female sex workers who advertised online and in newspapers increased only slightly during the World Cup tournament , a study revealed on Thursday.

Although the reported condom use remained high at 99 percent pre- and post-World Cup, the clientele proved to be fewer in number than expected, according to Sweat, a non-profit organisation that works with sex workers around health and human rights.

In conducting the study, the organisation obtained the phone numbers of sex workers from newspapers and a popular adult entertainment website where sex workers advertise their services.

The focus was on the Classifieds section newspapers in three of the host cities - Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

Participants were asked about the number of clients in the past seven days, country of origin of their last client, and the condom use with their last client.

The study revealed that during the pre-World Cup period, the web-based advertising research site listed 1098 unique profiles of female sex workers, while a total of 270 sex workers advertised in three leading newspapers in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

The number of unique profiles on the website increased by 5.9 percent during the tournament.

“Interestingly, the post-World Cup period saw a further increase of 9.3 percent as 1 271 sex workers were advertising via this website,” the report said.

The study also found that a proportion of the local clients of sex workers who advertised in newspapers may have been temporarily replaced by foreign clients.

The organisation said these results were at odds with public fears about a massive increase in the number of sex workers, both domestic and cross-border during World Cup.

It said the research findings also contradicted concerns about a huge increase in demand for paid sex services and engaging in unprotected sex.

“These findings point to the need for rational planning for future international sporting events that is based on evidence, not sensationalism.” - Sapa