|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
NEW ON THE SITE
KEY MOMENTS OF 2011 IN THE FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OF PEOPLE IN SEX WORK/TRADE: The past year was full of activity as sex worker rights activists mobilized across the country to advance the wellbeing of people engaged in sexual exchange. From the halls of the United Nations to the streets of New Orleans, there were important victories, but also challenges.
WHY ARE SEX WORKERS AND THEIR ALLIES OCCUPYING WALL STREET? In the last few weeks, many have been wondering what has driven people to Occupy Wall Street and bring attention to the economic situation that has developed in our country. On October 5, 2011 a group of sex workers and allies stood in solidarity with their fellow revolutionaries at the rally at Foley Square in New York, and many have continued to participate in OWS actions since that date. Melissa Sontag Broudo and Penelope Saunders explain why advocates for sex worker rights in New York have joined Occupy Wall Street. Their commentary is also available as a pdf.
REPORT TO GLOBAL COMMISSION ON HIV AND THE LAW: The Best Practices Policy Project and the Desiree Alliance submitted a report to the "High Income Countries Dialogue convened by the Global Commission on HIV and the Law. The meeting will take place on 16-17 September 2011 in California.The dialogue aims to contribute to efforts for creating enabling legal environments which support effective HIV responses. Sharmus Outlaw, a co-coordinator of the Desiree Alliance, commented in the report that, "Many in society already incorrectly fear that sex workers spread disease. Using these laws [making engaging in sex work while living with HIV a felony] to arrest people living with HIV whips up fear against sex workers, transgender people and men who have sex with men."
THREE US-BASED GROUPS WIN APPEAL ON "ANTI-PROSTITUTION PLEDGE": A federal appeals court has ruled the United States cannot force US-based groups seeking international HIV/AIDS funding to denounce sex work. This decision from the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court in New York upholds a lower court decision in favor of the Alliance for Open Society International, Pathfinder International, Interaction and the Global Health Council. The decision, however, does not prevent the United States from applying the "anti-prostitution pledge" (also known as the anti-prostitution loyalty oath) to organizations based outside of the United States seeking US government funding for international HIV/AIDS work. Read BPPP's media analysis to understand the full story.
RIGHTS CONCERNS ACKNOWLEDGED AT THE UN: U.S. sex worker organizations, organizations working with people in the sex trade and related communities participated in the Universal Periodic Review process at the Human Rights Commission at the UN in Geneva. After generating a report on human rights violations against these communities in the U.S., activists successfully advocated for inclusion of their issues in recommendations to the U.S. government. Sex workers and their allies then worked to raise awareness of the recommendations and encourage the Obama Administration to accept them – which it did on March 18, 2011 in Geneva, stating, "we agree that no one should face violence or discrimination in access to public services based on sexual orientation or their status as a person in prostitution." This statement is an unprecedented acknowledgment of the need to prevent human rights abuses against sex workers and to ensure their access to public services. On March 18 across the United States sex workers and their allies held public actions of support of Recommendation 86.
IN THE NEWS
- An INCITE! affiliate carefully unpacks the ways in which law and policy affects youth, especially LGBTQ and youth of color, in a response to Rinku Sen's recent article in Colorlines. "There
- are no simple answers," comments the INCITE! affiliate and collective of radical women of color, queer people of color and Indigenous people who identify as people in the sex trade. The INCITE! affiliate response illustrates that "current ways of thinking about trafficking and the sex trade make LGBTQ youth invisible" and that New York City's Safe Harbor Act fails youth, and builds a critique of Rinku Sen's depiction of the "simple solutions" offered by GEMS (a New York City based program for girls).
- Recent press coverage of the murder of a number of women on Long Island has quoted sex worker organizations about the issue. The Long Island Press quoted SWANK and SWOP-NYC using information from their press release on the issues. CNN's Susan Candiotti spoke to SWOP USA representative Stacey Swimme and SWOP-NYC's Kate D'Adamo. Read BPPP's media analysis of these stories.
- April 21, 2011, Amy Lieberman of Womens ENews described public art actions in New York City which raised awareness about Recommendation 86. Lieberman describes how advocates are "pushing for safer conditions on the ground that will make it easier to detect people who are coerced into transactional sex." The full articleincludes a photo of advocates from SWOP-NYC and quotes from key service providers in the area.
- The Red Umbrella Projectis calling for an amnesty for Long Island sex workers until the killer is found so that sex workers can step forward and provide information about the case without fear of arrest.
- New York City advocates respond to April 2011 press coverage of the discovery of the bodies of four more women murdered on Long Island. Read BPPP's media analysis and the SWANK/SWOP-NYC press release.
- Penelope Saunders summarized the debates at the United Nations in an article for RH Reality Check.
- MS Magazine blogger Cara Kulwicki concluded that the recommendations in BPPP/Desiree Alliance submission to the Universal Periodic Review about sex workers' health and rights "should be seen as straight up common-sense."
- Allyn Gaestel of the Foreign Policy Blog Network interviewed Penelope Saunders of BPPP about the intersection of efforts to end human trafficking and sex worker rights advocacy.
MORE ABOUT THE BEST PRACTICES WEBSITE
The Best Practices Policy Project is an organization dedicated to creating excellence amongst organizations and advocates working with sex workers, people in the sex trade, vulnerable and related communities in the United States. We produce materials for policy environments, address research and academic concerns and provide NGOs with technical assistance. Everything that we do is guided by principles that protect the rights of people who engage in commercial sex in all its forms.
This website is a tool to help people who want to make the US a better place for sex workers, people in the sex trade and communities that are affected by anti-prostitution policies. The resources on this site will help you organize and learn about key issues. Mainstream reporting on sex worker issues and policy can be difficult to interpret so we regularly update our media review page and provide news analysis from the BPPP perspective. We provide fact sheets on what constitutes best practices and provide practical guides on how to make your advocacy and organization more accountable to diverse communities of sex workers, people in the sex trade and related vulnerable communities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
