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Sex workers’ organizations across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia used the opportunity of the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers to advocate SW’s rights. Below is a summary of the activities carried out be the organizations.
• HOPSand STAR, Macedonia: workshops, screenings
The Program for support of sex workers at HOPS organized a Human Rights week throughout 10-17 December with various daily activities.
Sex workers’ organizations across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia used the opportunity of the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers to advocate SW’s rights. Below is a summary of the activities carried out be the organizations.
• HOPS, Macedonia: workshops, screenings
For the third consecutive year, on December the 17th sex workers called for society to respect the human dignity of persons involved in commercial sex, to combat discrimination and violence against one of the most marginalized groups of our society.
"Half a year ago, a sex worker died a violent death in Kirovograd. Recently two male escorts who provided sexual services were killed in Sevastopol, and there are cases of girls disappearing. This year we recorded dozens of human rights abuse cases against sex-workers, occurring in almost half of Ukraine's regions” - says Irina Mishina, the chair of the Ukrainian league Legalife.
In Macedonia, as throughout the world, sex workers are pushed to the margins of society by a combination of prejudice, discrimination, and violence. Insults and hate plague their lives, pervade media reports, and direct the approach of social institutions. But the lives and livelihoods of sex workers comprise of much more and the conviction remains that the selling of sexual services does not justify denial of fundamental rights, to which all human beings are entitled.
“You Must Know About Me” is a first-hand account of sex workers’ experiences and aspirations off and on the streets prepared by HOPS, SWAN's member organization in Macedonia. While dealing with the harassment and violence from clients, pimps, and the police, sex workers strive to counter the hostile public attitude by speaking out and fighting for basic rights. The video calls for zero tolerance of violence against sex workers, adequate investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, and coordinated response of social institutions to the actual needs of sex workers.
Albanian SWAN-member Aksion Plus have prepared the first national map on the sex work-scene in Albania. The findings are alarming.
Significantly higher rates of HIV and STI infections have been documented among sex workers and their clients as compared to most other population groups within a country. However, the true extent of HIV transmission from sex workers and their clients to other populations remains generally unknown.
Many factors significantly contribute to raise sex workers' HIV and STI infection vulnerability, such as: stigmatization and marginalization, limited access to socio – health and legal services, sexual exploitation and trafficking, exposure to violence and substance abuse.
On 25th-29th April 2010, the 21st International Harm Reduction Conference is taking place where it was first established in Liverpool, England.
Here is an update about sex worker and allies involvement, so far, in the conference. A major session on sex work has been accepted, this is supported by the International Sex Work Harm Reduction Caucus. The caucus is an informal network bringing together sex worker organizations and representatives and was formed in order to promote the inclusion of sex workers in debates about harm reduction and human rights particularly within this international forum. It is challenging to get a major session in the program so this is good news!
