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APNSW video "Bad Rehab"

Posted: September 23rd, 2010, 2:07am PDT

Media artists from the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW) have produced a new sing-a-long video protesting the use of raid and rescue as an anti-trafficking measure. In particular this video is a protest against the unethical campaigning of Somaly Mam and the damage caused by AFESIP for sex workers in Cambodia.

"For those not familiar with Somaly Mam, she is the founder of AFESIP and anti-trafficking organisation in Cambodia. She is also a global campaigner for anti-sex work anti-trafficking organisations. Yet she and her organisation support the Cambodian law and police practices which have led to the abuse of 1000's of sex workers and has made all sex work illegal. AFESIP illegally detains women who have been rescued" in police and NGO raids and Somaly claims that any sex worker who speaks out against her anti-trafficking/anti-sex work position is a pimp, a madam or a trafficker...." (APNSW)

Bad Rehab- APNSW Karaoke can be found here on the sexworkerspresent channel at blip.tv.

The members of the APNSW will continue to expose the anti sex work/abolitionist agenda and we hope all of you will support us in this monumental fight and join our facebook campaign by adding Leela Neena as your friend.
ICRSE Member Organisation LEFÖ Celebrates 25 years!

Posted: September 15th, 2010, 3:07am PDT

LEFÖ celebrates its 25th birthday! with a party LEFÖ-STIMM-Fest!

Friends and supporters will be gathering together on Friday, 1st of October 2010 to honour the women and work of LEFÖ. The evening promises to be exciting with live music performances, speakers and more...

See our events listing for more information.

Who is LEFÖ?

LEFÖ is a migrant women’s self-organisation that was founded in 1985 in Vienna, Austria. LEFÖ works for the recognition and protection of migrant women’s human rights and sensitizes the public about issues around women’s migration. LEFOE supports migrant women, (migrant) sex workers and migrants who are affected by trafficking. Activities include outreach and support provision to migrant sex workers; assessment of the national prostitution scene and its transformations; networking with other institutions and organizations; initiating and supporting a national platform for the rights of sex workers; participation in national and international forums to advocate for the decriminalization of sex work, the legal recognition and social inclusion of (migrant) sex workers
Rights activist Marcella Di Folco gone but never forgotten/E' morta Marcella Di Folco

Posted: September 15th, 2010, 1:59am PDT

Marcella, founder and member of MIT (Movimento Identita´ Transessuale), is gone and the Committee for the Civil Rights of Prostitutes, which she supported for years, mourns her loss.

An extraordinary person and an outstanding activist since 1982, Marcella fought for the affirmation of the rights of transsexuals, advocated the recognition of their new identity and fought against the discrimination of prostitutes. Over the years we faced the same political struggles and evolved together. We shared the same beliefs and battles. Many esteemed Marcella, to the point that she was elected in the City Council of Bologna. She never gave up and was always at the forefront.

Marcella was not rich and although she lived an austere life, her life was full of friends who admired and loved her. We will all remember her with deep affection. Marcella was nothing if not generous and never pulled back when it was necessary to expose herself in order to defend those who were discriminated against or persecuted. The LGBT movement gained recognition thanks to her way of being and her mode of seeking justice and rights. We join members of the Italian Transsexual Movement, MIT, to say goodbye and to commemorate her.

Ciao Marcella...

see also: Il MIT (Movimento Identità Transessuale)

E' MORTA MARCELLA DI FOLCO
FONDATRICE ED ESPONENTE DEL MOVIMENTO IDENTITA' TRANSESSUALE

Se ne è andata Marcella e il Comitato per i Diritti Civili delle Prostitute del quale anche lei è stata per anni sostenitrice iscritta ne piange la perdita.

Marcella è stata una persona straordinaria e una attivista eccezionale, fin dal 1982 oltre a lottare per l'affermazione dei diritti delle persone transessuali che chiedevano il riconoscimento alla loro nuova identità, si è sempre battuta contro la discriminazione delle persone prostitute. In tanti anni abbiamo condiviso insieme molti momenti di lotta e anche di crescita politica. Ci siamo trovate sempre a condividere pensieri e battaglie. Marcella conquistò la stima di molte persone, tanto da essere anche eletta al Consiglio Comunale di Bologna. Non si arrendeva mai era sempre in prima linea.

Non era ricca Marcella, anzi viveva in modo parco, ma la sua è stata una vita ricca di amici che la stimavano e le volevano bene, sarà ricordata da tutti con grande affetto.
Si è spesa sempre con grande generosità, non si è mai tirata indietro quando serviva esporsi per difendere chi veniva discriminato o perseguitato, e sopratutto è certamente anche a lei e al suo modo di rivendicare giustizia e diritti che i movimenti GLBT devono molto riconoscimento.

Insieme ai compagni e alle compagne del MIT vogliamo salutarla e ricordarla.
Ciao Marcella da tutte noi...

Carla Corso e Pia Covre
Power Tool - micropunta.it

Posted: September 13th, 2010, 3:19am PDT

Last year we wrote about a project Power to the Sisters, that was being developed by the media group in Italy called Micropunta [www.micropunta.it] .

Now you can see on their website (flash) videos including interviews with Catherine Healy from the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, Nicky Adams from the English Collective of Prostitutes, an interview material with Norma Jean Almodovar from the USA and interviews with ICRSE members Carla Corso and Pia Covre from Comitato per i Diritti Civili delle Prostitute (CDCP) Lucciole Italy.

Micropunta says "The purpose of the POWER TOOL is to fill the gap between sex work and society´s perception of it giving voice to the Prostitutes Collective and Sex Workers around the world.¨
Publication: Sex Work & the Law: the Case for Decriminalisation

Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 5:41am PDT

Dialogue around the South Africa-based 2010 Soccer World Cup, proposals to introduce a moratorium on the harassment of sex workers by the South African Police Force, and the continued criminalisation of sex workers and their clients in South Africa sparked the production of this work. It outlines several key issues, considerations, challenges and recommendations for policy-makers, NGOs, sex workers and other actors in the fields of HIV and human rights, to help build a supportive and enabling environment for sex workers to realise their rights. (Quoted from World Aids Campaign website).

Download the complete booklet here
APNSW video highlighting impact of brothel raids in Kuala Lumpur

Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 5:20am PDT

In 2008 the US Government gave Malaysia the lowest rating in its annual Trafficking In Persons Report. Rather than address the real labour trafficking issues, the government set out to close down the sex industry. Now nearly all brothels in Kuala Lumpur have been shut. Sex workers are forced to work in dangerous and difficult conditions on streets throughout the capital. For its violent efforts to suppress the sex industry the US Government raised Malaysia to tier 2 level in its 2009 TIP report.