Claim: Local and international non-governmental organisations in Malawi have claimed that the term “sex worker” risks legitimising the exploitation of women and girls subjected to prostitution. This claim follows the alleged killing of Rosina Hara, a 27-year-old woman from Luwinga Township in Mzuzu, on 21 May 2025, by a man presumed to be her ‘customer’.

Verdict: INCONCLUSIVE.

Methodology

This fact-check is based on reports from human rights organisations, associations led by sex workers, NGOs and major news outlets, as well as published studies and organisational statements. The analysis compared and contrasted the binary positions with the “sex work as work” framework.

Evidence and Analysis

In Malawi, the contentious issue of what to call those who “sell sex” reflects tensions around the world. These linguistic choices are not semantic niceties; rather, they represent divergent perspectives on compulsion, choice, and the essence of the ‘sex trade’.

 The Case for “Sex Worker”

Organizations in Malawi run by and for individuals in the sex trade, such as the Female Sex Workers Association of Malawi (FSWA) and the Malawi Sex Workers Alliance (MASWA), explicitly use and advocate for the term ‘sex worker’. They are supported by human rights organizations like the Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA) and the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC).

Their position is rooted in three key arguments:

  • Sex worker is framed as a neutral, professional term that replaces the stigma of prostitute. It acknowledges individual agency and the right to self-identify.
  • Framing sex work as labor enables advocates to demand safer working conditions, access to healthcare, and protection from violence, without moral judgment.
  • Although ‘selling sex’ is not explicitly illegal in Malawi, laws against “living off the earnings of prostitution” are still used to arrest and harass sex workers. Advocates argue that recognizing sex work as legitimate labor is essential to decriminalisation, which they say would improve safety and increase access to justice.

The Case for “Sexually Exploited Woman”

Opponent organisations such as People Serving Girls at Risk (PSGR) and Equality Now  reject the term ‘sex worker’. They argue it obscures the coercion and violence they see as inherent to the sex trade and promote ‘sexually exploited woman’ as more accurate and dignity-affirming.

Their reasoning includes:

  • Most individuals do not freely choose the sex trade but are driven into it by poverty, trauma, or coercion.
  • Reports show that women and girls in Malawi are lured into the trade under false pretences, only to face violence and debt bondage. The U.S. State Department’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report identified rural girls as especially vulnerable to these tactics.

While sex work itself is not illegal, laws criminalizing those who “live off the earnings” are still enforced and often target ‘sex workers’ themselves.

Conclusion

INCONCLUSIVE. The claim that the use of the term ‘sex worker’ legitimises exploitation, and that the term ‘sexually exploited woman’ is a more accurate, dignity-affirming term, is not verifiable through fact alone. It reflects competing worldviews. There is no universally accepted terminology in Malawi.

This fact-check was produced by Collins Mtika of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi (CIJM) as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA) incubation programme. It was produced with peer mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway.

AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/