International
The Guardian: Letter (unpublished) – response to allegations against Oxfam and other NGOs in Haiti
(The Guardian, unpublished).Dear Madam/Sir,Like our sisters in Haiti (‘Aid staff would pay more’: sex workers in Haiti speak out), sex workers who have survived disasters and face the calamity of criminalisation every day, must start with our need to support ourselves and our families. Women from Empower, a sex workers collective in Thailand, were in […]
Event: US PROS on the successful struggle to win an amnesty from arrest and prosecution for victims of violence
Wednesday 24 January 7-8:30pmCrossroads Women’s Centre, 25 Wolsey Mews, London, NW5 2DXRachel West is in London from San Francisco and will report on a recent victory for sex workers there. US PROStitutes Collective, working with other sex worker groups, was instrumental in winning an amnesty from arrest and prosecution for sex workers accused of prostitution […]
Sex workers win immunity from arrest and prosecution reporting rape and other violence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Minouche Kandel, (415) 572-6482, minouche.kandel@sfgov.org SAN FRANCISCO ANNOUNCES FIRST-IN-THE-COUNTRY POLICIES TO SUPPORT SEX WORKERS WHO ARE VICTIMS OR WITNESSES TO VIOLENCE IN REPORTING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT “Prioritizing Safety for Sex Worker” policies would protect a sex worker reporting a violent crime from arrest or prosecution for prostitution or minor drug offenses […]
Legislation on sex work: Sweden Sex Purchase Law
Lilith Brouwers – 2017Legal status of sex work:There are multiple laws that criminalise or limit sex work in Sweden, the most well-known of which is the 1999 Sexköpslag (Sex Purchase Law). This legislation criminalised the purchase, or attempt to purchase, casual sexual services in exchange for any kind of compensation including alcohol, gifts, meals, or […]
Dead bodies don’t lie, but statistics do
By Joel HellewellI’m going to use the term woman/women in prostitution even if it is a bit clunky, since it is hopefully tolerable to both sides of the debate. I have never sold sex, so I cannot speak to the experiences of women that have. I hope that what comes through is a genuine desire […]
Has the rate of sexual assault really increased in New Zealand since 2003?
By Joel Hellewell This post is a response to the “meme” created by Nordic Model Now, claiming that the rate of sexual assault in New Zealand has increased since 2003, primarily because of the decriminalisation of prostitution in the Prostitution Reform Act 2003. Link to the meme: https://nordicmodelnow.org/2016/08/11/meme-about-new-zealand-since-the-full-decriminalisation-of-the-sex-trade/ The first thing to do to the […]
Legislation on sex work: Germany legalisation
Lilith Brouwers – 2017Legal status of sex work:Although sex work is legal in Germany, it is limited by a wide range of laws and regulations that prescribe who can do sex work and under which circumstances. Central in this legislation are prostitution zoning laws (“Sperrgebietsverordnungen”) which limit the locations where sex work may be done, […]
Legislation on sex work: Netherlands legalisation
Lilith Brouwers – 2017Legal status of sex work:Although sex work is legal in the Netherlands, it is limited by a wide range of laws and regulations that prescribe who can do sex work and under which circumstances. Generally, there is a municipal licence – and sometimes registration – required for sex work to be legal. […]
Pacific Standard: Why women in the United States will strike on March 8th
Women’s Right to Refuse Why women in the United States will strike on March 8th. By Melissa Gira Grant The call went out just weeks ago for a women’s strike in the United States. March 8th, International Women’s Day, would be marked by “striking, marching, blocking roads, bridges, and squares, abstaining from domestic, care and sex […]