Morning Star: Sex workers hold vigil following the murder of two prostitutes
SEX workers held a candle-lit march through London yesterday to remember fellow workers who have been victims of violence.
Members of the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) held commemorations in Soho to mark the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers.
And they were joined by screen stars Rupert Everett and Sarah Solemani.
Their vigil came after two sex workers were murdered in London in the last 12 months — one in a £2 million flat in Paddington.
British-Colombian Maria Duque-Tunjano was found bludgeoned to death in the apartment located in one of the most expensive areas of the city.
ECP spokeswoman Carrie Mitchell told the Star that the deaths of sex workers are often neglected by the authorities.
“It’s often the case that the police do not pursue these crimes in the same way if it were the Prime Minister’s wife,” she said.
“Why should it be any different?”
Sex workers across the country have also issued several complaints against “terrifying” police raids and the closure of brothels.
“Women are really terrified of who’s going to be raided next,” added Ms Mitchell.
“What is going to happen to the women there? Are they going to have to work on the street or are they going to have to work on their own?
“It’s safest to work indoors with others — but that’s against the law.”
Her group has campaigned for the decriminalisation of prostitution for almost 40 years “so that women can come forward and report any violence to the police without fear of being arrested,” explained the spokeswoman.