Female Agents of Change: Mirembe “We help each other out, we are stronger together.”

“My name is Mirembe, I am 32 years and I have three children. Two of them are twins. And I have been a sex worker for 13 years.”

Mirembe is one of the female sex workers who have benefitted from a project by a WPHF-Spotlight Initiative. Women’s Organization Network for Human Rights Advocacy (WONETHA) works with women to improve their access to justice and health services. When joining the project Mirembe was chosen as a peer educator by her fellow sex workers.

“In the past when I was starting sex work, we worked in bars. That is where you would get customers. You would work in the bar but also sell sex and our boss was selling us. Sometimes a customer would come but pay the owner of the bar and I wouldn’t get paid. So, I worked only for food and accommodation. I didn’t even know how to use a condom and got HIV. Fortunately, all my children are negative,” Mirembe explains.

Mirembe’s story is very common and female sex workers face a lot of exploitation and violence in Uganda. WONETHA educates women on sexual and reproductive health and rights, Ugandan laws and on their human rights. The peer educators like Mirembe are in key roles as they reach out to other sex workers to form groups, educate them and connect them with health workers and the police. A peer educator is a person you go to when you face any challenges.

“Before this project, we had no voice and we were taken as mere sex workers. Now the ladies can come and speak for themselves. WONETHA has taught us about our rights and how to protect ourselves better. As a peer educator, I go around and try to understand how my peers are doing and help them with getting medication and assist them with contacting the police when their rights are violated.”

Getting help from the police is sometimes challenging for sex workers. Sex workers face a lot of violence and talking to the police is not easy. Sex work is illegal in Uganda and many people have many preconceptions about sex workers. 

WONETHA brings the women together to form groups that are led by peer educators. The groups protect one another and assist each other when one of them needs help. Some of them have started savings groups to generate additional income.

“We help each other out. We have been taught not to lock our rooms when one of us has a customer. If a client tries to be violent you can call for help and the others come and help. Before this wasn’t the case. We help each other out, we are stronger together.”