Regional updates: Europe

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The Europe region is made up of three different regional networks.

  • The International Committee for the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE) is an European network of sex workers and allies and was formed in 2004 to organise the 2005 European Conference on Sex Work, Human Rights, Labour and Migration in Brussels, Belgium.
  • Sex Workers’ Rights Advocacy Network (SWAN) is a network of sex workers' groups and civil society organisations engaged in advocating the Human Rights of the sex workers formed in 2006 in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
  • TAMPEP (European Network for HIV/STI Prevention and Health Promotion among Migrant Sex Workers) is an international networking and intervention project operating in 25 countries, including 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

Board members

Mariann Bodzsar is a member of SZEXE in Hungary and is the Central,Eastern European & Central Asian representative nominated by Sex Workers’ Rights Advocacy Network (SWAN).

Pye Jakobsson (Rose Alliance), Sweden.
 

In Response to Scottish Trades Union Congress Decision to Disregard the Rights of Sex Workers to Organise and Unionise

NSWP Statement

NSWP condemns the recent decision by the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) to cancel their agreement with Sex Worker Open University (SWOU) to provide a venue for the upcoming ‘Sex Workers’ Rights and Community Building Festival’.

The ‘Sex Workers’ Rights and Community Building Festival’ brings together sex workers and allies from across the world and has attracted worldwide attention and public interest. It provides opportunities for both sex workers and other experts to share ideas and experiences, organise for sex workers’ rights, and strategise around resisting harmful laws and policies. The decision to organise this festival in Scotland is extremely timely in light of recent attempts to criminalise those who purchase sexual services (known as the ‘Swedish Model’). This approach is one that has been criticised heavily by NSWP and our members as it negatively impacts upon the health and human rights of sex workers. 

Sex work is recognised as informal labour by International Labour Organisation and sex workers are protected under ILO Recommendation 200[1]. NSWP regrets and condemns the decision of STUC to take an approach to sex workers' rights that sits in contradiction to the recommendations of the ILO. This position is a clear dismissal of sex workers as deserving of trade union support and undermines their fundamental human right to organise and unionise.

In a statement the STUC claimed their decision was taken because the title of the event diametrically contradicts the STUC position – and yet the title of the event to have been held in the STUC building is ‘Looking at Laws and Policies that Impact on Sex Workers and Strategies for Resistance and Change.’, not as claimed “The Scottish Context: Opposing Criminalisation of Clients.”, which is the topic of one presentation by SCOT-PEP representing Scottish sex workers perspectives.  The STUC decision clearly represents an attempt to stifle the voices of sex workers and evidence-based debate on the current discourse in Scotland and beyond. It should also be noted that the STUC did not refuse to host this event but cancelled the booking at very short notice after publicity materials had been produced and distributed, at significant cost to a poorly-resourced sex worker rights movement.

NSWP urge the STUC to review their position in relation to supporting sex workers to organise, rather than be part of the system that oppresses sex workers. Sex work is work and sex workers must be afforded the same labour rights as any other workers. Any political perspective or legal framework that refuses to acknowledge this violates the human rights of sex workers.

6th April 2013 by NSWP
NSWP regional opportunities - HIV policy consultants

NSWP has received short term funding from the Robert Carr Civil Society Network Fund (RCNF) to support our regional networks in identifying and documenting good practice in sex worker led HIV programming; sex workers access to treatment and the impact of free trade agreements; and the impact of HIV programming for sex workers that fails to reflect a rights based approach.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:  Friday, 12 April 2013 @ 24.00.

26th March 2013 by NSWP
STRASS press statement on "Abolition 2012" & repeal of offence of soliciting

Press release by STRASS, French Union of Sex Workers, in English and French: on the continuing campaign to repeal the offence of soliciting.

Communiqué de presse en français suit ci-dessous.

26th March 2013 by NSWP
Kyrgyzstani Sex workers and allies stop draft bill punishing sex work

RUS: Чтобы прочитать эту статью на русском языке, пожалуйста, нажмите здесь.

(с благодарностью SWAN)

Further to the news story earlier this month is the offical statement from Tais Plus:

In October 2012 the Ministry of the Interior of Kyrgyzstan initiated a new draft bill to introduce an administrative offence for sex work.

Tais Plus with numerous allies – organisations and individuals – implemented a wide advocacy campaign to stop this initiative of the Ministry of the Interior. Financial support was provided by Urgent Action Fund. Bishkek Feminist Collective SQ provided incredible promotion of all our efforts against the new draft bill.

We mobilised sex workers, allies and organisations actively involved in sex work issues across the country. Public hearings with participation from civil society, government representatives and sex workers took place in 6 cities – in almost all regional centres.

The Petition calling to stop the draft bill was signed by more 1000 people via online and personal communication on the streets.  Face-to-face communication with parliament members and staff of the Ministry of the Interior took place during the official meeting of the Parliament Committee responsible for reviewing this draft bill.

Unbelievable support from Human Rights Watch and a consortium of international women and sex workers leadership organisations allowed us to show the people making the decision that our country and our issue is of concern to international human rights defenders.

Finally in February 2013 mass media posted the official news about withdrawing the draft bill on the punishment of sex work on Kyrgyzstan.

Thank you to all our supporters. It is not possible to make full list of them all here.

28th February 2013 by NSWP
WHERE IS THE JUSTICE? - Sex Work in Hungary

RUS: Чтобы прочитать эту статью на русском языке, пожалуйста, нажмите здесь.

(с благодарностью SWAN)

The Association of Hungarian Sex Workers (SZEXE) recently launched their advocacy film on the situtation for sex workers in Hungary.

 

SZEXE produced the video jointly with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) to attempt to give an overview of Hungarian sex workers' situation and come up with recommendations for addressing the problems.The video was first presented on a press event on 17 December 2012 in Budapest. Support for this project was provided by Mama Cash.

22nd February 2013 by NSWP
Kyrgyzstan drops criminalisation attempt

The media in Kyrgyzstan has published an announcement by Dastan Bekeshev, the Parliament Deputy that the Kyrgyz Government have withdrawn their Draft Bill on administrative punishments for sex work. 

Read the report (In Russian) at 24kg.org.

Tais Plus campaigned heavily against this initiative, as we reported in October here.

This is the second time Tais Plus' advocacy efforts have been successul after similar attempts in 2006 to criminalise sex work were also stopped.

22nd February 2013 by NSWP
STRASS newsletter

This is the 3rd edition of the STRASS newsletter, packed with details of their recent and forthcoming activism events in France as well as a round up of other European news realting to sex work.

4th February 2013 by NSWP
Protest against criminalisation proposals in France

Members of STRASS and other activists organised a demonstration on Friday 26th October, outside the Courthouse in Toulouse, France to protest against the proposals being brought forward to criminalise clients of sex workers and the crime of solicitation.

The event, held during the National Congress of the Socialist Party was part of ongoing action in the face of the plans of the French Minister for Women's Rights. 

The activists oppose the proposals and denounced the disastrous consequences they will cause including more violence, more infections and fewer rights.  They also released a list of demands which included that sex workers are actually consulted and involved in public policies that affect them and the repeal of the offence of soliciting and all laws that criminalise sex workers.

You can read more including the full list of demands (In French) in the press release below.

27th October 2012 by NSWP
Attempt to criminalise sex workers in Kyrgyzstan

The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyrgyzstan announced recently week that they intend to criminalise sex workers. 

The MIA prepared the draft of the law “On amendments to the Administrative Code of the Kyrgyz Republic”. The justification for these amendments are that 'prostitution is anti-social, directly linked to the spread of STIs, including HIV as well as spreading drug addiction and alcoholism'. The prospective punishment could be a fine or as much as 30 days in prison.

Tais Plus, along with partner organisations and rights defenders are campaigning against this initiative. 

Their activities include:

- Conducting public hearings in all regions of the country with the participation of sex workers, their allies and main stakeholders from the government

- Using the in-country consultation meeting devoted to the preparation to the Regional Consultation on HIV and Sex Work (5-6 of November 2012)

- Sex workers will develop and sign a petition to the MIA, Parliament & Ombudsman's Office

- Presenting and disseminating a report on sex workers' human rights violations

You can read more on this story (in Russian) here and here.

24th October 2012 by NSWP
UK countries consult on further criminalisation

Two countries in the United Kingdom  - Scotland and Northern Ireland - are currently consulting on proposals to introduce legislation to criminalise the purchase of sex.

In Scotland, Rhoda Grant MSP (Labour) has launched a public consultation on her proposal for her private members bill, 'Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex (Scotland) Bill'.  The public consultation runs until 14th December.  You can download her consultation document on the Scottish Parliament's website here.  NSWP member organisation SCOT-PEP have been campaigning vigorously against the proposals and there will be updates on their website relating to the consultation as it progresses.

In Northern Ireland, Lord (Maurice) Morrow MLA (Democratic Unionist Party) has a consultation running until 18th October on his draft Human Trafficking & Exploitation (Further Provisions & Support for Victims) Bill which he has already drafted.  His Bill includes a range of measures aimed at tackling trafficking, but most disturbingly also includes the 'introduction of a new offence of paying for the sexual services of a prostitute'.  More information and the consultation paper can be found on the Northern Ireland Assembly website here.

18th September 2012 by NSWP