Commercial sex workers must be protected from assault and any other kind of mistreatment, lawmakers said on Friday after release of a parliamentary report about the living conditions of the ladies of the night.Recalling that the Penal Code criminalises prostitution, MPs also recommended that before punishing sex workers, the government must closely examine and tackle issues that force people into prostitution.This is one of a dozen of recommendations that were adopted at the end of a one-day meeting which discussed issues affecting sex workers.The meeting was called to assess prostitutes’ needs so as to inform parliamentary advocacy and action, and to discuss strategies that would help accelerate response to the HIV/Aids pandemic.The report is a result of a qualitative research by members of the Rwandan Parliamentarians’ Network on Population and Development (RPRPD), a group of MPs dedicated to raise public awareness on issues related to population growth.Last year, RPRPD organised field visits in the districts of Kicukiro, Rubavu and Rusizi to discuss with sex workers about the challenges they faced.Findings from these consultative meetings with sex workers, local government authorities and others actors in the districts showed that criminalisation of prostitution denies sex workers easy access to crucial services, with devastating consequences on their health, their clients and partners of their clients.Presenting the sex workers needs assessment report, Senator Dr Celestin Sebuhoro shed light on the conditions that drive many young women and girls into the illegal business."Sex work is not legal in Rwanda and, as a result, it is done in hiding and sex workers seem to face many hardships,” Sebuhoro said.Sebuhoro outlined the main challenges facing sex workers, including harassment from the community and law enforcement authorities, stigma, discrimination against their children, refusal by some clients to pay for services rendered, and unprotected sex.A few weeks ago, an alleged serial killer was linked to deaths of several sex workers around Kigali City, with police confirming they were investigating the cases.Sex workers offer varying opinions about the possibility of quitting the practice, he said."Some feel they cannot quit prostitution because it’s their sole source of livelihood as well as freedom and liberty that come with the trade. Some are willing to stop sex work once empowered economically.”Nonetheless, sex workers have unrestricted access to HIV/Aids therapy"All the sex workers interviewed testified that when they test for HIV and their status is positive, they are provided with ARVs free of charge. They appreciate the manner in which ARVs are accessed.”But they want improved protection from any form of assault."They need programmes that can help them build businesses and manage their money, peer support to leave sex work, and be relieved of the stigma from those around them. Some said they need training in vocational skills like tailoring, hotels, hairdressing, driving and motor mechanics.” "The innovative aspect in this study is that it was conducted by RPRPD members concerned with promoting and protecting human rights and welfare of the people, especially women and children, and at the same time making laws and or policies with regard to sex work in Rwanda,” explained the parliamentarian.He said they found out that outlawing commercial sex work was not an effective solution, and would therefore not eradicate the vice.During the discussions that ensued, MPs acknowledged that poverty was a major factor driving women and girls into prostitution.Deputy Pélagie Mukantaganzwa stressed the need for stakeholders to build on the findings of the study and seek implementation of the recommendations.She also proposed that further research be conducted on male sex workers, sugar mummies, brothels as well as drug abuse, particularly in schools.The legislators called for more support to sex workers by encouraging and facilitating them to form and join cooperatives.They also called for the review of the Penal Code in view of the findings to avoid cases where the law might turn out to be a liability to society. But they were not explicit as to whether commercial sex should be legalised.MPs also called for concerted efforts to encourage sex workers to abandon the trade and to educate them about the continued importance of protected sex.The lawmakers also urged punitive measures against adults who lure children into prostitution as a deterrent, and called on the local leaders to include improved conditions for sex workers among their performance contracts (Imihigo).Several advocacy groups have previously argued for decriminalising prostitutionRPRPD says it considers HIV/Aids issue that still needs urgent attention. At least 3 per cent of Rwandans are HIV positive.The main objective of the one-day forum was to raise awareness on the linkages between HIV/Aids and human rights.Figures indicate that there are about 15,792 known female sex workers in 752 sites countrywide.