In a statement released today the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) expressed its concern over recent actions by Greek authorities involving the arrest, detention, mandatory HIV testing, publication of photographs and personal details, and pressing of criminal charges against at least 12 sex workers.

The full statement on the UNAIDS website can be read here.

UNAIDS
Posted 10 May 2012 by NSWP

Sex workers in Zambia have been in the spotlight this week as both religious leaders and a non-governmental organisation weighed in to the debate on how the police deal with sex work in the country.

Posted 10 May 2012 by NSWP

File 831

Robert Carr, international human rights and HIV/AIDS activist, died a year ago today in Toronto.

Robert was a tireless campaigner for the health and human rights of people living with HIV and men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, sex workers, of all genders and transgender people.  He fought to secure the right of access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for the most marginalised communities. 

Robert remains an inspiration to us and is very sorely missed. 

Posted 10 May 2012 by NSWP

In a deplorable move, Athens police have published photographs of 12 sex workers who have tested HIV positive in the last few days, with more disgraceful abuses being promised in the future.

You can sign the petition to the Greek Prime Minister to stop the forced testing and outing of HIV+ sex workers here.  (Read it in English, Spanish & French) 

Posted 2 May 2012 by NSWP

Geetha, the leader of the Karnataka Sex Workers Union sadly died on 30th April 2012.

"I don't want sympathy, We just want human rights, equal rights, Like other human being and we want labour rights" - Geetha 2009.

Posted 2 May 2012 by NSWP

Sex workers ran a number of exciting and challenging sessions during the AWID Forum in Istanbul. In their interactions with delegates they have been stressing the importance of listening to sex workers and acknowledging sex work as work. There has also been a plea for the silent majority of feminists who support sex workers rights to raise their voices to condemn interventions like anti-trafficking raid and rescues which are often carried out in the name of feminism.

One well attended break out session that combined presentations with film clips was ‘Don’t talk to us about sewing machines: Talk to us about worker’s rights’ which was organised by the Paulo Longo Research Initiative. The panel was moderated by Meena Seshu of Sangram and Laura Agustín and Sachumi Mayeo of Empower spoke.

Watch the videos of this session (with thanks to APNSW): 

Posted 25 April 2012 by NSWP

Video courtesy of Dale at APNSW.

Watch this video in China here这里观看这个视频中国 

Read the speech in Chinese here中国这里讲话 

También puede leer el discurso aquí en español. You can also read the speech in Spanish here.

The Association of Women in Development Forum is currently taking place in Turkey. In a speech of quiet intensity Kaythi Win delivered a plenary that got 80% of the 2000 feminists in the audience on their feet in support of sex workers rights.  Her speech in full follows.

Posted 22 April 2012 by NSWP

Carol Leigh, director of the Bay Area Sex Workers Advocacy Network, explains why sex workers deserve legal rights in this article in the New York Times.

Carol Leigh
Posted 21 April 2012 by NSWP

PROS Network (Providers and Resources Offering Services to sex workers) participated in two studies in New York around the impact of policies that use of condoms as ‘evidence of prostitution’.

PROS Network / Leigh Tomppert
Posted 21 April 2012 by NSWP

NSWP and ASWA member, Health Options for Young Men on HIV, AIDS and STIs, based in Kenya, has been awarded a grant to train its members to be peer educators and undertake outreach through social media.

The award from amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, will provide sex workers living with HIV with HIV prevention and treatment information. Those trained will, in turn, will pass that knowledge on to other sex workers. Additionally, HOYMAS is working with the Kenyan government to improve public policies related to HIV among male sex workers.

Posted 14 April 2012 by NSWP

UNFPA Africa’s website features this story marking the launch of this resource, which can be found in our resources section here.

Source: Extract from the full story on the UNFPA Africa website.

Sex workers are a critical aspect of Namibia’s plans to tackle HIV and AIDS. However, up until 2011 little was known about their needs and challenges and nor were there national guidelines for effective, rights-based programming with sex workers. A series of rapid assessments on sex work and HIV was conducted by sex workers with the support of UNFPA and UNAIDS Namibia and the Society for Family Health (SFH). This was implemented as part of UNAIDS’ programme acceleration funding (PAF) award to UNFPA Namibia.

Posted 12 April 2012 by NSWP

X:Talk have launched a campaign for a moratorium on sex worker arrests during the Olympics.

They are seeking a moratorium – a suspension of legal powers – on arrests of sex workers before and up to the end of the London Olympics. 

'Governments and NGOs draw a link between sporting events and increase in trafficking, but there is no proven link.  We ask for a moratorium because the usual response by governments to those assumptions is to crack down on sex workers. Up to now, anti-trafficking measures have mainly been about making criminal law interventions. But raids on brothels, for example, find that the number of people trafficked is nowhere near as many as thought.'

Read x:talk briefing paper here and and SIGN UP to their campaign by emailing xtalk.knowledge@gmail.com 

Posted 9 April 2012 by NSWP

Press Release from: English Collective of Prostitutes

As arrests, raids and prosecutions of sex workers increase in Olympic boroughs and throughout the UK, calls for the decriminalisation of prostitution highlight the need to protect sex workers from rape and violence.

Posted 9 April 2012 by NSWP

In response to the recent article in the Hindu where renowned feminist and journalist Gloria Steinem talked of an ‘epidemic of sex trafficking’, Professor Shohini Ghosh writes:

Posted 9 April 2012 by NSWP

The ongoing ‘sex-trafficking’ controversy surrounding Village Voice Media-owned Backpage.com (a website where escorts can advertise their services) continues. 

Posted 9 April 2012 by NSWP

Ann Jordan's Issue Paper from Rightswork.org examines the impact of the Swedish Penal Code from 1999. 

Ann Jordan
Posted 4 April 2012 by NSWP

Three new resources have been published by UNFPA / UNAIDS, in partnership with ASWA and The Society for Family Health, on sex worker rights and HIV in Namibia and are now available in our 'Resources' section (or just click on the name of the document below.)

Posted 4 April 2012 by NSWP

UNAIDS recently feature this story on the front page of their website about sex workers in both Namibia and Kenya advocating for their rights of access to health care and legal services, including coverage of the demontrations for International Sex Worker Rights Day on 3rd March.  It is certainly significant to see stories such as this being given such prominence on the UNAIDS site.  

Matthew Greenall on his Epidreamiology blog has however challeged a couple of significant accuracies carried in the article, specifically about sex owrkers not being able to negotiate condom use; and regarding exactly why sex workers asked for changes in laws and policies that impact on their lives.

Posted 3 April 2012 by NSWP

Many people will have been following the developing news stories about New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who attacks the sex industry and promotes a 'rescue and rehabiitation' approach.

Posted 3 April 2012 by NSWP

This article is reproduced from change.org

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Recently the Village Voice exposed the Schapiro Group, a private consulting firm in Georgia, and the Women’s Funding Network of California, a women’s charity, for knowingly deceiving both congress and the public using false data manufactured through fraudulent research. These groups presented alarming reports of a sudden rise in trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls.

Christine Monfort
Posted 3 April 2012 by NSWP