Senegal

The framework rests on Law 66-21 of 1 February 1966 (implementing Decree 69-153) and Code Pénal Articles 318–325. Article 318 prohibits solicitation; Articles 323–325 prohibit pimping, procuring, and brothel-keeping; Article 319 criminalises same-sex "unnatural acts". Female sex workers aged 21+ may register with a designated health centre, which creates a dual file (health + police) and issues a carnet sanitaire recording mandatory monthly STI screenings; failure to present a current booklet on police demand carries 2–6 months' imprisonment. The system has been essentially unchanged since 1969 except for cosmetic booklet revisions, and it explicitly excludes male and trans sex workers — who fall under Art. 319 instead. On 31 March 2026, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed an amendment to Article 319 raising penalties for same-sex acts to 5–10 years plus fines up to 10 million CFA, and newly criminalising "promotion" and funding of LGBT advocacy.

Roughly 80% of female sex workers nationally and 57% in Dakar remain unregistered (Lepine et al., PLOS One 2023). Visible street and venue-based work concentrates in Dakar (Plateau, Pikine, the Medina), Saint-Louis, Mbour and the Petite Côte resort strip, and Casamance/Ziguinchor near the Gambian border. A 2023 PLOS One discrete-choice study found registration cuts STI prevalence by ~38% but is widely rejected because workers fear social exposure if police or health staff leak their status. Registered workers report higher rates of police violence and blackmail than clandestines, even though the carnet provides genuine legal recourse against violent clients. HIV prevalence among FSW in Dakar was 6.6% in 2016 — 16.5× the general adult rate of 0.4% — while MSM prevalence sat at 29.7%.

Loi 2008-12 on data protection (CDP enforcement) is on paper progressive but rarely shields sex workers, since unregistered work is itself a criminal offence and ad data has been used in arrests. The March 2026 anti-LGBT amendment criminalised online "promotion" of same-sex content and could be read against trans/male workers using social channels.

Foreign sex workers cannot register and are therefore working illegally by default — arrest and deportation are real risks. The legal regime applies only to cisgender women 21+; male and trans workers face Art. 319 prosecution regardless. Following the March 2026 amendment to Art. 319, penalties for same-sex acts rose to 5–10 years plus fines up to 10M CFA, with "promotion" and "support" newly criminalised — a significant chilling effect for LGBT-friendly outreach and foreign visitors. Senegal remains majority-Muslim and socially conservative.

WhatsApp / Telegram (private, dominant channel), Facebook groups (semi-private, periodic takedowns), limited Tryst / international directory listings. No domestic legal classified platforms.

• ENDA Santé — mobile clinics + FEVE IMPULSE + CARES programme (Dakar HQ)
• And Soppeku — sex-worker-led collective (Dakar/Thiès/Kaolack)
• Human Dignity Trust — Senegal LGBT profile