News Archive: August 2011

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Statement of demands by ICAAP community representatives and activists on unacceptable police violence at ICAAP

File 392

Taking the example of Korean sex workers, community protesters got up on stage today in the plenary with facemasks symbolising the silencing of the voices of the communities, and read a list of demands to the organisers and UNAIDS.

We are appalled at the failure of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific, the Local Organising Committee and the UN in predicting, preventing and effectively intervening in the violence that took place on the 27th of August 2011.

Posted 30 August 2011 by NSWP
Sex workers condemn the use of force by Korean security on peaceful demonstrators

Busan – South Korea - Press Statement – Saturday 27th August 2011- For immediate release

Police beat and arrested South Korean activists, among them people living with HIV/AIDS, during a PEACEFUL march at the ICAAP in Busan. The march was organised to protest against Free Trade agreements being negotiated across the Asia Pacific region. International and Korean activists were jointly marching through the Conference Convention Center.

Posted 28 August 2011 by NSWP
Myths About Human Trafficking

Ronald Weitzer, Professor of Sociology at George Washington University, writes an insightful article in 'The Huffington Post'  exposing some of the enduring myths about human trafficking and the dangers of conflating sex trafficking with sex work itself.  Read the whole article here.

Posted 25 August 2011 by Neil McCulloch
New Bulletin from DURBAR out now!

The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee is a collective of 65000 female, male and transgender sex workers in West Bengal, India. Their most recent Bulletin provides an update on The Supreme Court’s new panel to rehabilitate sex workers; their work with Nachnis, traditional dancers, to help them to fight for their rights and recognition and; an event they held for the members of the national under 13s football team which was attended by the Minister of State for Sports, Government of West Bengal, Mr Madan Mitra.

Posted 18 August 2011 by NSWP
We Can Do It Ourselves- Sex Workers' HIV Program in Myanmar/Burma

This video is part of a project of APNSW teaching sex workers to make their own advocacy videos and to document their work. This film is from TOP (Targeted Outreach Project) in Yangon. The TOP Program is a national, community run HIV Program for Female, Male and TG sex workers and MSM in Myanmar/Burma. They have set up 18 centres nationally and 95% of the staff come from the community.

Posted 15 August 2011 by NSWP
VAMP celebrates Raksha Bandhan

The commercial sex workers (CSWs) of Sangli celebrated Raksha Bandhan on Saturday by tying rakhis to local police officers and social workers.

This was the first time that CSWs in Sangli had an occasion to celebrate the festival. Local NGO Veshya Mahila AIDS Nirmulan Sanstha had organised the event at the red light area in Premnagar near Swarup theatre in Sangli.

Posted 15 August 2011 by NSWP
The African Sex Worker Alliance newsletter is out now!

With news articles on International Sex Worker Rights Day and the appointment of Kyomya Macklean  as the new ASWA Regional Coordinator this e-newsletter is a must read.

Subscribe and get it delivered direct to your email in-box.

Posted 15 August 2011 by NSWP
‘Confront legal and policy barriers to HIV’: Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Dialogue on HIV and the Law

The Regional Dialogue for sub-Saharan Africa, part of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, was held at the beginning of August in Pretoria, South Africa.

Posted 12 August 2011 by Neil McCulloch
Criminalising transmission of STIs in China is an obstacle to HIV prevention

After another recent case where an HIV positive female sex worker was jailed for propagating sexually transmissible infections, local groups that work with sex workers speak out about the possible impact on HIV infections and how the discriminatory nature of the law violates the human rights of sex workers. 

You can read the whole article published in the ‘Global Times’ here.   

Posted 2 August 2011 by Neil McCulloch