Guyana Vulnerable Population Alliance (GVPA) was founded in 2023 in New Amsterdam, Berbice. GVPA envision a society in Guyana where sex workers are valued and respected, and their human and workers' rights are upheld and protected.
What is the history of the organisation? How and why was it formed?
A group of sex workers met online with a mission of forming the next sex worker-led organisation in the country. In March of 2023 the organisation was registered and had its first round of funding. With little experience of functioning as an organisation, the board made the decision to hire a consultant that would guide the organisation through it early stage of development.
It was immediately obvious that GVPA needed to have some structure in place, and so quickly there was the development of the organisation’s operating manual and finance manual along with a 5 year strategic plan that would be used to future guide this young organisation.
GVPA is made up of a board of directors with a President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary, Media and Communication and Public Relations.
The administrative team manages the day-to-day operations of the organisation and the executive director reports directly to the board chairman.
Our Vision: We envision a society in Guyana where sex workers are valued and respected, and their human and workers' rights are upheld and protected. We see a Guyana where sex workers have access to the resources they need to live fulfilling lives and where they are free from stigma, discrimination, and violence. The organisation has aligned programs and projects to reach the goals of this vision.
The mission of the organisation is to: promote safety, health, and human rights for all sex workers in Guyana. It is the belief of the organisation that there is value in all individuals and GVPA is committed to providing a platform for sex workers to have access to the resources, support, and opportunities necessary to thrive. Through partnerships, advocacy, and direct interventions, we aim to empower sex workers to take command of their lives, achieve their goals, and realise their full potential.
It is the belief of the organisation that there is value in all individuals and GVPA is committed to providing a platform for sex workers to have access to the resources, support, and opportunities necessary to thrive.
Which countries and/or regions do you work in?
GVPA is a national organisation that operates in all areas of Guyana.
What is the sex work context in your country/region?
Sex work in Guyana continues to be illegal, though the act of prostitution in and of itself is not criminalised there is the common nuisance act that is being used to criminalise sex workers.
Trafficking
Sex work and trafficking in Guyana are distinct yet interconnected phenomena. Sex work involves individuals voluntarily engaging in sexual activities for compensation, often driven by economic need. In Guyana, many Amerindian women choose sex work as an economic opportunity due to the current educational and employment landscape. This situation is particularly prevalent in mining areas, where the influx of workers creates a demand for sex work. These remote locations often lack basic healthcare services, adding to the vulnerabilities of sex workers. Additionally, many migrant sex workers in mining areas face communication barriers, as they do not speak English, complicating their interaction with authorities and access to services. Overall, HIV among female sex workers in Guyana is very low due to the efforts that was placed on reducing them through efforts of the Government of Guyana and with the aid from international and regional donors.
Trafficking, on the other hand, involves coercion, manipulation, or force to exploit individuals for sex. Many Amerindian women are deceived with false promises of employment in guesthouses, restaurants, and shops along the coast, only to find themselves forced into sexual exploitation. This manipulation highlights the exploitation inherent in trafficking, distinguishing it from consensual sex work.
Efforts by the Guyanese government to combat trafficking include disseminating information about its dangers, although the remoteness of the hinterland hinders effective communication with Amerindian communities. A 2008 report by the National Task Force attempted to address these issues, but provided inconclusive data on Amerindian exploitation.
What are the priority areas that your organisation works in?
GVPA priority areas are health education and advocacy, rights education and advocacy, and resilience building within the sex work communities.
Do you provide services to sex workers? What kind?
At the moment the services that GVPA provides for the community are rights education and access to health serviced through the mobile outreach in the hinterlands.
Do you do political work, or campaigns? What kind?
As GVPA is a young organisation there has not been any political work or campaigns yet.
How are sex workers meaningfully included in the organisation?
As a membership organisation, the management of the organisation has to be from the membership and the board is made up of active or inactive sex workers. The membership contributes to the strategic objectives of the organisation while the board gives oversite to the management of the organisation.
Tell us about a big event or challenge you have worked on recently. How did it go? What were the challenges?
Going into the hinterland with services for the migrant sex workers, this was planned by GVPA. The team travelled for 2 days to the hinterlands and met with the migrant sex workers, some of whom were afraid that they were going to get deported. As the team engaged with the sex workers it became clear that a lot was not being understood due to language barriers. We also quickly learnt that if one of them should get sick they would have to travel for miles to get to a hospital. Most of the time they have to go with public transportation, this is also a threat to others. The mining areas are prone to TB, Malaria and other such forms of illnesses. The services that GVPA was able to bring to the community there was very limited as there were no medical team with us.
Does the organisation have a message for the sex worker rights movement?
In recent times there has been a shift in the movement to mainly one area of the globe, the funding and resource efforts are not coming in to the Caribbean region and many of the sex work organisations are dying out. There are now no sex worker-led organisations that are taking over the work, to the detriment of the sex work movement in the region.
The leaders of our nations who have pledged to uphold the various treaties and international polices that would ensure the rights and dignity of our sex worker: it is time to put your money where you mouth is.