law

San Francisco: 'Condoms will not be used as evidence.'

San Francisco police will no longer use condoms as evidence when arresting and charging sex workers, according to an announcement by law enforcement agencies and the Human Rights Commission.

This announcement follows a six-month trial moratorium period in which condoms were not used as evidence in cases.

Read the full article in the San Francisco Examiner.

Sex Workers denied leave to intervene in Canadian Supreme Court Case

Press statement from Maggie's, Stella and POWER.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Le français suivra...

May 2, 2013 -- Supreme Court Justice Richard Wagner has denied several prominent sex worker groups the opportunity to intervene in the Bedford v. Canada appeal, to be heard at the Supreme Court of Canada on June 13th, 2013. 

The constitutional challenge to the prostitution laws could strike down laws that have documented direct and negative impact on the lives and working conditions of sex workers, bosses, security people and other third parties as well as the lives of sex workers’ clients and partners.

Sex-Worker Forum of Vienna supplement to CEDAW shadow report 2013

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Год: 
2013

Sex-Worker Forum of Vienna, Austria - supplement to the Shadow CEDAW report submitted to the 54th Session of CEDAW February / March 2013.

You can download this 36 page PDF report above.

This resource is in English.

Sex-Worker Forum of Vienna CEDAW shadow report 2013

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Год: 
2013

Sex-Worker Forum of Vienna, Austria - Shadow CEDAW report submitted to the 54th Session of CEDAW February / March 2013.

You can download this 44 page PDF report above.

This resource is in English.

SZEXE CEDAW shadow report 2013

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Год: 
2013

SZEXE Shadow CEDAW report submitted to the 54th Session of CEDAW February / March 2013.

You can download this 16 page PDF report above.

This resource is in English.

Tais Plus CEDAW Shadow Report 2008

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Год: 
2008

Tais Plus - Shadow CEDAW report submitted to CEDAW in 2008.

You can download this 5 page PDF report above.

This resource is in English.

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - marking 17th December in Kenya

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Год: 
2012

Sex workers from KESWA and ASWA in Nairobi staged a protest marking International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers on 17th December.  Thousands of sex workers joined with gay activists and organisations to condemn the ‘Kill the Gay, Uganda Bill’ and marched on City Hall. 

Men At Work: Male Sex Workers, HIV and the Law

Год: 
2012

Published as part of Research for Sex Work 13: HIV and Sex Work – The view from 2012.

You can download this 3 page PDF article above.  This article is in English & Chinese.

Winning UN recognition of Sex Work as Work

This recent blog post on the 'A Kiss for Gabriela' website outlines some of the recent UN documents that recommend decriminalisation, or a move away from criminalisation of sex work. 

In the face of continuing and creeping criminalisation attempts in many territories, this provides a useful summary of some of the additional advocacy tools now available to support activism and campaigning for sex workers' rights, while emphasising the importance of not limiting discussions about sex worker rights solely to disease prevention.

You can read the full blog post here.

Sex Work Law Reform in Canada: Considering problems with the Nordic model

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Год: 
2013

This briefing from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network considers the impact of the "Swedish" or "Nordic" model on sex workers.  Examining its harmful effects, this paper argues that this approach would not withstand constitutional scrutiny in Canada.

The briefing also makes recommendations to the Canadian Parliament as follows:

  • Parliament should repeal the section of the Criminal Code that makes it an offence to communicate in a public place for the purposes of prostitution
  • Parliament should repeal the bawdy-house sections of the Criminal Code
  • Parliament should repeal the subsections of the procuring sections of the Criminal Code that relate to bawdy-houses
  • Parliament should repeal the section of the Criminal Code that makes it an offence to live on the avails of prostitution
  • Parliament should repeal the reverse-onus subsection of the Criminal Code as it applies to living on the avails of prostitution

For full details you can download this useful 6 page PDF document above.  This resource is in FRENCH.