HSF briefs

Moral Laws IV: Abortion

Abortion, not unlike sex work, is an age old subject which has been criminalised and decriminalised over the centuries. Like both sex work and drugs, abortion is a moral issue which debate has, in recent years (relatively speaking), taken a legal undertone by introducing the question of when life actually begins, with implications for the view that termination of pregnancy is equivalent to murder.

Moral Laws III: Drugs

Like the first two briefs on sex work in this ‘Moral Laws’ series, the stigmatisation of drug dependent users as outcasts and criminals is based on a particular morality. Unfortunately, once again, this has played the key role in our government’s (and the world’s) handling, at least until recently, of the drug problem – viewing it as a criminal justice issue as opposed to a health problem.

Moral Laws II: Sex work - The Arguments

This brief is the second brief of a series of four. This brief lays out the arguments for the status quo and for a reform of the system. It also discusses a possible solution to the legislative problem, in the form of a midway position. The third brief will deal with drug use and the fourth with abortion.

Moral Laws I: Sex work - History and current status

This brief is the first of a series of four. It deals with legislation about the sex trade in South Africa The second brief lays out the arguments for the status quo and for a reform of the system. The second brief also discusses a possible solution to the legislative problem, in the form of a midway position. The third brief will deal with drug use and the fourth with abortion.

Lindela And South Africa’s Defective Deportation Regime

What is going on at the Bosasa-run Lindela Repatriation Centre - South Africa's single specialised holding facility for irregular immigrants awaiting deportation? This brief investigates the country's notorious deportation regime and its custodians – the South African Police Service, the Department of Home Affairs and Bosasa.

The Medium Term Budget Policy Statement On Not Answering The Question

In this brief, Charles Simkins reflects on the Medium Term Budget Statement and the projections made therein.

Developing water sensitive cities III: A case study of two South African metros

The final brief in a three-part series exploring urban water sensitivity in South Africa is a case study which examines the approach taken by Cape Town and Johannesburg in response to increased water stress.

Developing water sensitive cities II: Is there support in South Africa’s regulatory framework?

This brief, second brief in a three-part series exploring urban water sensitivity in South Africa, assesses the regulatory framework to determine the extent to which it gives effect to the concept of water sensitive cities.