Submitted September 15, 2010 to Civil Society Section, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, via email to HR&HIVconsultation@ohchr.org
This report was prepared by the Best Practices Policy Project with support from the following organizations working with sex workers, people in the sex trade and other groups in the United States: the Desiree Alliance, Bayswan, Women with a Vision, HIPS, Madre Tierra, St James Infirmary, SWOP-USA, SWOP-Tucson, SWOP-NYC and SWANK, SWOP-Colorado, SWOP-Chicago and other organizations.
In September 2010 the Best Practices Policy Project reported on key human rights questions in regards to HIV/AIDS in the United States for sex workers, people in the sex trade and vulnerable communities in general. This report was submitted to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in partnership with the Desiree Alliance, Bayswan, Women with a Vision, HIPS, Madre Tierra, St James Infirmary, SWOP-USA, SWOP-Tucson, SWOP-NYC and SWANK, SWOP-Colorado, SWOP-Chicago and other organizations. Key issues emerging included the lack of mention of sex work in the US National HIV Strategy, human rights violations of people living with HIV who are arrested for solicitation, and the use of condoms as evidence. Read the report and download it as a pdf.
The first National Leadership Training Institute was held in Washington, DC from October 25 to 27, 2007. The Institute brought together 25 emerging and experienced leaders working for rights to share human rights based skills to work for justice. The Institute model is an intensive series of classes that will help new and current leaders understand activism, organize for change, work to change images of sex workers in the media and much more. Since the first Institute was held in 2007 other organizations have drawn on the experience to host regional and national trainings. If this is something you would like to find out more about please email us at psaunders… at…. bestpracticespolicy.org or consult the handbook we created in 2008 and updated in 2010 compiling all the steps we took to hold the first National Leadership Training Institute in 2007.
