Who will touch the ‘dangerous women’? Sinners and suicide bombers as a challenge to the women's movement

Looking at sex workers and at women living with HIV and AIDS as examples, this open forum argues that women's movements across southern Africa have had a difficult time addressing women who are marginalised by more than poverty, illiteracy and rural-ness. I argue that the mainstream women's movement has developed a one-dimensional idea of the woman who is most deserving of its attention. Over the years, there have been few genuine attempts to reach out to women who are perceived as ‘dangerous’, e.g. women who abuse substances or are involved in sex work; women who are in contact with the justice system or live on the streets.