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.

Robyn Few, the co-founder of Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) USA, died  on Thursday 13th September from cancer.  Robyn had been living with the illness for several years but continued to fight for sex worker’s rights and was instrumental in inaugurating December 17th as International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. 

Read some of the many tributes to Robyn on SheWired, SWOP USA and Lalibertinesalon.

A call to Stop the Arrests and end ongoing media harassment

Sex Workers Action Group (SWAG) Kingston (Ontario, Canada) have published an open letter to support the 9 sex workers who were arrested in Sault Ste Marie. 

A summary of the issues and the demands follows below.  For the full text of the open letter see here.

TO ADD YOUR NAME TO THE OPEN LETTER, PLEASE SIGN IN THE COMMENT SECTION ON THE SWAG WEBSITE, OR EMAIL sault.on.redumbrellacampaign@gmail.com

Launch of APNSW+ and NSWP+

Tuesday 24^th July 2012

Sex Worker Freedom Festival

Kolkata, India

We are a group of HIV+ Sex Workers and people committed to treatment access for sex workers living with HIV. We have decided that we need a special platform to fight for the rights of HIV+ sex workers and to bring the sex worker’s issues and the energy and glamour of the Sex workers movement to the treatment activist movement!

Our new platforms ‘Asia and Pacific Network of Positive Sex Workers’ (APNSW+) and ‘Global Network of Positive Sex Workers’ (NSWP+) make these demands:

• HIV+ Sex workers demand the right to look fabulous- to do this we need better and affordable HIV drugs now
• WE DEMAND AS POSITIVE PEOPLE THE RIGHT TO WORK AS SEX WORKERS!!!
• We demand the right to work in all sectors, including in the sex industry
• We demand that the drug companies from the West stop trying to kill us through their attacks on developing countries right to manufacture, export and import generic ARVs
• As HIV+ sex workers we face MULTIPLE stigma and discrimination despite 25 years of treatment activism there is an extra layer of stigma if we have HIV and do sex work. As positive sex workers, we demand that this stigma is fought and our specific needs are met
• We demand not to be last in line for treatment or refused treatment because we are sex workers
• Treatment needs to be matched to the patient not the patient matched to the treatment
• Post Exposure Prophylaxis is not available to most people around the world – we need access and availability of PEP, especially for sex workers

AS HIV+ SEX WORKERS, WE DEMAND THE RIGHT TO LOOK FABULOUS!!!

The African Sex Work Alliance,(ASWA) which is managed by the Sex Worker Education, Advocacy and Task Force (SWEAT) seeks to fill the following positions:

• Regional Coordinator
• Operations Manager

ASWA promotes the health and human rights of sex workers within the existing legal systems in which sex work in South Africa, and in Eights African Countries operate.

It also engages in policy activities which promotes the recognition and protection of sex work, and endorses sex work as work. ASWA also leads civil society campaigns calling for the decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa, and on the African continent as a whole. Targeted programs assist in mobilising sex workers, as well as providing crucial information in respect of health and human rights.

Click on the post title above for more information and full information on how to apply.

Potential applicants must indicate for which position they have applied , and not apply for both positions simultaneously.

Closing dates for both posts is 31st August.

India's Supreme Court (Apex Court) backed a decided not to exclude West Bengal-based NGO Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC) and Usha Cooperative from a committee of senior lawyers, NGOs and Government officials, which is constituted in July last year, to suggest measures on sex workers dignity.

The court confirmed the need to get views from the concerned people about whom the committee is formed, after an objection was lodged by the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare.  They had argued that as these organisations 'openly advocated for the rights of sex workers' that this would make their inclusion contrary to the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act.  This was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The delegates at the Sex Worker Freedom Festival welcomed the news.  NSWP President Andrew Hunter said, “The Supreme Court of India has reiterated that “right to live with dignity” is a Constitutional right. This would help our struggle worldwide to go a long way ahead.”

Read more on this story in The Sunday Indian.

The International Labour Organization hosted an important seminar at IAC 2012 in Washington DC, which included participation from sex workers at the Kolkata SWFF Hub.

The session was entitled A Labour Rights Approach to HIV and Sex Work: Working with Sex Workers to Protect Human Rights, Prevent and Eliminate Violence and Sexual Harassment and Promote Equal Access to Protection Schemes.

ILO made clear the UN believes sex work is regarded as work under the definition provided in Recommendation 200 and that sex workers should be afforded the same rights and protections as other workers.

Read more on AFAO's website.

Watch Cheryl Overs' speech: 'The Tide Cannot Be Turned Without Us:  HIV Epidemics Amongst Key Affected Populations' given during the Plenary: 'Dynamics of the Epidemic in Context' at the IAC in Washington DC (from 20 minutes into the video above.)

You can also download the full transcript of the Plenary, or the MP3 audio file from the Global Health / KFF website.

The Sex Worker Freedom Festival urged the Indian government not to bow to pressure from the EU and US on Free Trade Agreements and to continue to produce generic anti-HIV drugs that are affordable for poorer nations.

Andrew Hunter, NSWP President said, “If we want to live in a world that is fair we cannot allow rich governments and corporations to hijack the global health system. We need to keep India as the pharmacy of the world. We need India to stand up to the EU and the US and keep us alive.”