As reported back in April Ann Jordan's Issue Paper from Rightswork.org examines the impact of the Swedish Penal Code from 1999. She concludes:

'Not surprisingly, the experiment has failed. In the thirteen years since the law was enacted, the Swedish government has been unable to prove that the law has reduced the number of sex buyers or sellers or stopped trafficking. All it has to show for its efforts are a (contested) public support for the law and more danger for street-based sex workers. Despite this failure, the government has chosen to ignore the evidence and proclaim the law to be a success; it also continues to advocate that other countries should adopt a similar law.'

This resource has now also been translated into French (available here) and Spanish (available here).

With thanks to David Boudon for volunteering to provide this translation into French.

NSWP learned today of the tragic news of the death of Abel Shinana, Director of African Sex Workers Alliance (ASWA) Namibia.

We send our heartfelt condolences to colleagues, friends and family.  A great friend, colleague and superb emerging sex work leader has been lost.

On the 7th of May 2012, the WONETHA Drop-In Centre in Gulu, Uganda was raided by police and computers and other items taken away.  WONETHA’s staff at the Drop In centre were also arrested and detained.

The arrested outreach workers and 3 other member were taken to court and charged with ‘living on the earnings of prostitution’.

Read the full story on ASWA’s website.

NSWP is pleased to announce the following appointments, who will be joining the NSWP Secretariat.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, has recommended Truvada for approval for prescription as HIV prevention for those most at risk of infection.  

Register for the Sex Worker Freedom Festival here. 

Application forms available in English, Chinese, French, Portuguese and Russian.

Come and join us in Kolkata! 

(Video courtesy of ANPSW)

Raids on flats in London and increased activity by the Metropolitan Police in targeting street-based sex workers have forced women to work underground, begin working outdoors and to move away from areas they know well.  All of which has put them at greater risk of violence and driven them further away from the support services they use and trust, reports the Independent today.

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.

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)