Today, 14 September 2021, is SEX WORKER PRIDE DAY, honouring sex workers’ self-determination and enhanced visibility and the achievements of sex worker-led organisations. Sex Worker Pride extends to all marginalised by criminalisation, discrimination, and stigma across the sex worker movement and celebrates the diversity within the community.

On this day, we would like to share and amplify some important announcements in the sex workers’ rights movement and offer you some simple steps to support the inclusion of sex workers. 

Thank you, ICRSE, for your work. Time to let ESWA take over!

From today, ICRSE becomes ESWA, the European Sex Workers Rights Alliance (ESWA), a sex worker-led network representing over 100 organisations led by or working with sex workers in 35 countries in Europe and Central Asia.

To celebrate this significant moment, ESWA is launching their new website. However, this is not all! Building upon previous years of substantial, urgent and successful work, ESWA is also presenting their Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025, setting two main thematic priorities: gender and migration & anti-racism.

On this day, we also would like to celebrate Sabrina Sanchez as the new coordinator of ESWA. Sabrina is a trans woman, sex worker, originally from Mexico, co-founder of the sex worker’s union OTRAS in Spain. Previously, Sabrina was also a Convenor of the Board of Directors of ICRSE.

Welcome ESWA!
C-EHRN is already looking forward to continuing working together with you!

4 SIMPLE STEPS TO SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF SEX WORKERS

ESWA needs our help in advocating for the rights of sex workers in Europe and ensuring that their voices are heard! What can we do? Check out all these actions on their new website, and have a read of the tips below.

Educate yourself
Sex workers’ rights are workers’ rights!
Sex workers’ rights are the rights of women, migrants, LGBTQ, and people who use drugs!

We want to invite you to read more about sex work, human rights violations, and their legal frameworks on this- and upcoming days. There are a lot of resources out there!

NSWP and INPUD briefing paper is a good start, for example. Remember also to check Intersection Papers and Toolkit developed by ESWA, or the collection of texts ‘The Fight To Decriminalise Sex’ by Open Democracy. Another fantastic resource is Revolting Prostitutes by Juno Mac & Molly Smith.

Connect with your local or national sex worker organisations
Regular conversations, partnerships and cooperation with sex workers organisations is another way to stand in solidarity. Advocating for the rights of sex workers to other groups is not an easy task, so reach out and ask them how you can support their work. Find a list of sex workers’ organisations in Europe with whom you may establish mutual learning and knowledge sharing links. 

Include sex workers in your programmes or activities
Peer works! For people who use drugs, and also for sex workers, from research to community-building activities and outreach activities or programme evaluation. Having dedicated human and financial resources available for capacity building of drug users and sex-workers led activities and networks makes the difference between aspirations and reaching those most marginalised and underserved. 

Golden tip! Check out the Training Manual on Sex Work, HIV and Human Rights.

Advocate for sex workers’ rights
The sex workers and people who use drugs’ rights movement are both part of broader social justice transformation processes. Criminalisation, stigma, discrimination and violence severely impact the health and wellbeing of sex workers and people who use drugs across Europe. 

The first step for a more inclusive Harm Reduction movement is a clear and explicit position on the decriminalisation of sex work. You may read about the Sex Work Frameworks by ESWA or the community guide on decriminalisation by NSWP. Also, consider signing ESWA’s campaign to amend the Sexual Freedom Law in Spain or the petition asking the Croatian government to decriminalise sex work.

On this day, we invite Harm Reduction activists to stand with us by sex workers’ side and vocally support them – from social media to EU Institutions – towards social justice for all.