Justice & policy | Access to Health | Digital Rights | Community Spotlight | Opportunities |
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Dear Friends, Supporters & Allies,
From members organising to defeat criminalising legislation in Scotland to our team participating as stakeholders in the new EU LGBTQI+ Strategy 2026-2030, February has been a busy month in our ESWA community! Read more updates below.
In March we will celebrate the International Sex Workers' Rights Day, International Women's Day and the Trans Day of Visibility. We have special campaigns prepared for all of these occasions, so stay tuned.
As always, thank you for your ongoing support.
In solidarity,
ESWA Team
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Justice & Policy |
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This month, ESWA participated in a stakeholder consultation on the new EU LGBTQI+ Strategy 2026-2030. While ESWA welcomes the Strategy’s emphasis on tackling hate against LGBTQI+ people, we posit that any effort towards enhancing safety of the LGBTQI+ community is undermined by the continued criminalisation of sex work in many countries throughout the EU. ESWA, alongside our allies, further raised concern at the lack of specific measures to counter the rise in transphobia across the EU. For example, the Strategy makes no mention of safeguarding access to gender affirming healthcare through public funding, rollback of which is being witnessed in many EU member states. Restriction of access to gender-affirming healthcare undermines the safety of trans sex workers who may take on greater risk to increase earning capacity towards private funding.
Similarly, commitments to increase protection of LGBTQI+ migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, cited by the Strategy, are meaningless without acknowledgement of growing anti-immigration sentiment and roll-back of fundamental rights at risk of being inscribed into EU law through legislation such as the “Return” Regulation.
To this end, ESWA signed its name to PICUM’s statement to reject an EU law enabling home raids, policing of public services, and racial profiling as means to ‘detect’ undocumented migrants. Sex workers, particularly migrant and/or racialised sex workers, have experienced the disastrous impacts of ‘detection’ measures for decades, under the guise of ‘anti-trafficking’ interventions. This has included raids on workplaces and residences, often resulting in deportation of undocumented sex workers, despite branding of police efforts as ‘rescue’ operations. Sex workers unanimously call upon European lawmakers to reject the expansion of surveillance, and resist giving in to far-right, anti-immigration rhetoric which seeks to erode human rights.”
Research
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‘It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You’: Understanding Outing and Doxxing as a Form of Violence Against Sex Workers
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Digital Rights |
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Workshop on Age Verification for ESWA Members
On Monday 23.02, the Digital Rights team offered a workshop for our members on the intersection of age verification and sex work. As it seems the implementation of such technologies is increasingly unavoidable, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of how it works, and the implications for sex workers online. The workshop was facilitated by Pandora Blake from Open Future and Simèon de Brouwer from EDRi.
Deregulation Coming for the Cybersecurity Act
It seems the deregulation agenda is in full swing in the European Union, and the latest target is the Cybersecurity Act. The Commission has launched a revision proposal, and while a lot of it is about empowering regulatory boards, we are concerned about ideas of “simplification” - especially when it comes to data protection. In a moment where online privacy seems to be increasingly a luxury, deregulation should not be guiding the policy.
Campaigning |
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By Wszebor Sienkiewicz (he/him), ESWA Director of Communication and Campaigns |
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What sex workers wish the world knew: a new community video to mark the International Sex Workers' Rights Day!
Join us March 3rd, 3 p.m. CET for the premiere of ESWA's newest community video, where sex workers share what they wish the world knew about us, our work, and our communities.
The premiere will have a live chat where we can say hi, exchange thoughts, and celebrate the International Sex Workers' Rights Day together.
Whether you are a community member, a friend, an ally, we hope to see you there!
Please share this invitation with your networks!
Go to the premiere link on YouTube
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Human rights organisations all over the world are shutting down due to lack of funding.
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Community Spotlight |
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In this section we share news and initiatives from our members that stood out to us this month. Would you like to be featured in the next Community Spotlight? Message [email protected]. Sex Worker Advocacy in Scotland Successfully Defeats Client Criminalisation Bill
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Sex Workers and allies are celebrating victory this past week in Scotland after months of hard work against the,“Prostitution (Offences and Support) bill.” The bill, introduced by independent MSP Ash Regan on May 20th, 2025, followed the Nordic Model and sought to establish new criminal charges for buying sex.
In a letter sent to the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, days before the vote, advocates against the measure explained how the bill doesn't address existing violence towards sex workers, but actually increases it. They wrote,“In every country where this legislation has been implemented, violence against women selling sex has drastically increased. In Northern Ireland, rates of violence rose by a horrifying 225%. We must not implement this failed legislative model in Scotland.”
On February 3rd, after months of advocacy by Scotland for Decrim, Numbrella Lane and allies, the bill fell (meaning failed to pass) with a vote of 64 to 54. In celebration of their victory, Scotland for Decrim posted, “Through highly organised efforts and great sacrifices we beat the Nordic Model in Scotland - and we'd do it all over again. Thank you most of all to all the brave sex workers who put their neck on the line to speak out for those who could not come forward through fear of repercussions. No liberation without trans liberation. Rights before rescue. Nothing about us without us.”
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Read More |
The fundraiser for Legalife-Ukraine has reached its goal!
Thanks to your generosity and kindness Legalife-Ukraine CO "Legalife-Ukraine" was able to order a generator to help them through the blackouts caused by Russian attacks.
This fundraiser has reached its goal, but our friends and community members suffering from the war can always use more help. Please keep supporting them if you can!
France Rejects Criminalisation of Online Sexual Services
The French community was on high alert after a hearing in the French Senate proposed the criminalisation of the purchase of online sexual services - inspired by the Swedish Model. Our member organization STRASS was involved in the hearing, and ESWA was coordinating to offer support research to counteract the proposal. The good news is that the criminalisation has been scrapped following the hearing. While the text is still not perfect, the worst forms of harm have been thankfully avoided.
Help Ms XX defend herself in court
Kolektyw Kamelia from Poland – a self-advocacy collective working on behalf of people with experience of sex work, is raising funds!
Kolektyw Kamelia explains that, "For sex workers, especially those working on the streets of large cities and along expressways, cold weather is a huge challenge. Unfortunately, when answering phone calls and reading messages from our community, we are increasingly receiving requests for financial support to help people buy food.
Every day, we are in direct contact with people who are in desperate need of support. Thanks to donations, we can act flexibly and quickly, helping to cover at least some of their basic needs. If you are able to do so, on behalf of the Polish sex workers’ community, please support our fundraising campaign."
OpportunitiesIf you have news you would like us to share in the next newsletter, send them to [email protected] |
Supporting Abortions for Everyone (SAFE) launched AbortopediaJust over a year ago, Supporting Abortions for Everyone - SAFE launched Abortopedia, a free online resource created for frontline abortion activists across Europe. Since then, it has grown into a multilingual hub full of practical guidance, tools, and strategies for groups at any stage of their work.
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Sex Work Studies & History Workshop
Event date: Friday 20 March 2026, 9.30am to 1pm
The workshop will open with a talk and Q&A by Lynsey Walton, CEO of National Ugly Mugs. NUM is a UK-wide charity working with sex workers to do research, design and deliver safety tools and to provide support services to people in adult industries. Lynsey Walton will talk on critical perspectives to sex work informed by contemporary advocacy. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion for the workshop participants to share and discuss challenges in their fields.
To apply, please send the following to [email protected] by February 28:
- Your name, position, and affiliation
- A short (100-200 word) summary of your interest in the workshop and reason for wanting to join.
- If you wish to attend in person, online, or either. More Info
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Recommendations |
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Hand picked books, videos, articles and podcasts, recommended by ESWA staff and members. Tell us your recommendations to be featured in the next newsletter!
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Transformations of Labour through the Lens of Sex Work: Navigating Digitalization, Precarity and Resistance
This volume engages with the question of how labour is transforming under late capitalism, and what insights the study of sex work offers into these transformations.
Presenting case studies from the Global North, this book situates sex work within the frameworks of neoliberal governance, digitalization, platformization, and gig economy to examine how economic relations, labour practices, and activism are changing under these conditions.
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Work is A Part of You
on sex workers mental and sexual health
by talk with Emmi
A short booklet bundling some relevant topics, information and collective experience gathered by talking with sex workers. It is written to be purposeful for individuals looking to read more about sex workers mental and sexual health & to raise awareness.
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