European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance |
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Justice & Policy | Digital Rights | Health | Community News & Opportunities |
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Dear Friends, Supporters & Allies, June was a busy month across our community! We started off by celebrating International Sex Workers’ Day on June 2. On June 16th, ESWA hosted our General Assembly with 14 participating organisations in attendance. Unfortunately, we also saw the adoption of deportation regulation passed in the European Parliament on June 17th - read more in the Justice and Policy section. We also are celebrating June 18th in Türkiye, where member organisations celebrated the sixth annual Trans Equality Day! (read more in our community spotlight section below). As always, thank you for your ongoing support. In solidarity, |
Justice & Policy |
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By Elizabeth McGuinness (she/her), ESWA Statement on Return Regulation On Wednesday, June 17th EU lawmakers voted to adopt what human rights groups are calling the “Deportation Regulation”. Migrant sex workers have long been subject to practices paved the way for in this piece of legislation, and are all too familiar with the associated dangers. It is crucial that we make noise, alert our allies and communities, and do not allow the passage of anti-rights legislation to go unchallenged.
Please re-share our posts on your own channels and networks and help us amplify the message that sex workers stand in solidarity with migrants across Europe, and elsewhere:
Read ESWA’s full statement concerning the Deportation Regulation here. See also: PICUM’s infographic detailing next steps in fighting back. ESWA sees the rise and codification of xenophobic sentiment in our public institutions as a direct targeting of our communities. We will continue to use our positioning to push back against moves in this direction at the European level.
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Digital Rights |
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ESWA is now an official EDRi member! ESWA's Digital Rights Policy Officer Ana Ornelas traveled to Warsaw at the very end of May to attend the European Digital Rights Network General Assembly - and came back with something to celebrate: ESWA has been upgraded from affiliate to full member by unanimous vote. This is a significant milestone. Full membership means ESWA now holds voting rights and will play a more active role in shaping the network's direction. Our collaboration with EDRi has already proven highly productive, and together we've worked to center the digital rights challenges facing sex workers within the broader movement.
Workshop on data retention highlights urgent need for stronger privacy protections Last week, ESWA hosted an online workshop examining data retention practices and their potential harms to sex workers. It became crystal clear that online privacy is fundamental to keeping sex workers safe, especially as criminalization continues to expand and put vulnerable communities at greater risk. Tactics like using VPNs, putting phones on lockdown mode, and moving to more privacy-preserving chat apps were some of the tips shared. |
Access to HealthBy Lisa Philippo (she/her), Deputy Director
ESWA is co-leading a European survey on sex work, travel and sexual health access! We want to make it easier to access PrEP and sexual health services anywhere you go, so you can stay safe without having to re-explain your needs or your sex work at every new doctor’s appointment. |
CampaigningBy Wszebor Sienkiewicz (he/him), ESWA Director of Communication and Campaigns |
Would you like to write for the ESWA blog? Email [email protected] with a brief description of your idea!
Human rights organisations all over the world are shutting down due to lack of funding.
If you believe sex workers' rights are important, please consider showing your support with a donation, so that ESWA can continue working towards a fairer, safer, and kinder world for all in 2026 and beyond.
Community Spotlight
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].
This June 18th, Pink Life LGBTI+ celebrated its 20th anniversary and Türkiye celebrated the sixth annual Trans Equality Day!
On the 18th of June, Pink Life LGBTI+ Solidarity Association celebrated Trans Equality Day and Pink Life celebrated its 20th anniversary! They want to share the meaning of June 18th for trans communities in Türkiye. The origin of June 18th came in 2018 when the World Health Organisation proposed to finally remove trans from the category of illness. Prior it had been deemed a "mental health disorder.” This marked “an important milestone in the struggle for dignity, self-determination, and equal rights” for trans communities worldwide. In Türkiye, Pink Life LGBTI+Solidarity Association explained how, “Inspired by this historic step, Pink Life announced in 2020 that the 18 of June would be commemorated in Türkiye as Trans Equality Day (The Day of Equality with Trans People).”
They added, “This year is especially meaningful for us, as we are also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pink Life. As part of this year's celebrations, we want to carry the spirit and meaning of Trans Equality Day across borders and open it up to a wider international conversation. We believe that, at a time when trans communities across many parts of the world are facing increasing hostility and attacks on their rights, amplifying each other's voices and building transnational solidarity is more important than ever. In this context, we would be deeply grateful if you could help us share and amplify our 18 June statement within your networks and platforms, so that our collective call for equality, dignity, and freedom can reach more people.
If you'd like to amplify the statement on the social media, you can also tag our association account: @pembehayatlgbti
Happy June 18 to all! 18 HaziranTranslarla Eşitlik günümüz kutlu olsun!!”
Sex Work: It's Just A Job | The Greek Film Archive
On Saturday, 27 June, ESWA participated in a public screening of Sex Work: It's Just A Job at the Greek Film Archive, followed by a panel discussion with the film's director and author, Alex S. Vitale, alongside Athena Michalakea and Angelina Giannopoulou.
Representing ESWA, Rafailia Varonou joined the conversation to explore the themes raised by the documentary, including policing, criminalisation, state violence, and their disproportionate impact on marginalised communities. Drawing on ESWA's work across Europe and Central Asia, the discussion highlighted how criminalisation affects the lives, safety, health, and human rights of sex workers, while emphasising the importance of community-led advocacy and evidence-based policymaking.
The discussion continued with an engaged audience, creating space for thoughtful questions and a rich exchange of perspectives on justice, accountability, and collective responses to systemic inequalities. Events like these demonstrate the importance of bringing together researchers, activists, community organisations, and the wider public to foster informed dialogue and challenge harmful narratives surrounding policing and criminalisation.
Opportunities
If you have news you would like us to share in the next newsletter, send them to [email protected]
The Red Umbrella Fund has opened its annual call for grants, with the deadline of 19 july. You will find all the information here.
As the only global fund dedicated specifically to supporting the rights of sex workers, RUF provides a great opportunity for sex worker-led organisations to build their capacity and do more activities. Red Umbrella Fund provides funding to sex worker-led organisations and networks that are: based in any country in the world; registered or unregistered; led by sex workers of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
PAID Research on Illegal Content on Porn Platforms
The Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (CSES) is currently conducting a study on gender-based violence and the spread of illegal, non-consensual content on pornography platforms. They are seeking to interview sex workers who have experienced having content shared non-consensually on these platforms. Participation is completely confidential, fully anonymised, and compensated. If you are interested in sharing your experiences, please reach out to [email protected] directly.
Recommendations
Hand picked books, videos, articles and podcasts, recommended by ESWA staff and members. Tell us your recommendations to be featured in the next newsletter!
“ Stigma Power and the Specificity of Sex Work: An Intersectional Analysis”, published in Societies.
The article brings together theoretical and empirical insights developed across several major research projects. A major focus of the discussion is the relationship between stigma and violence. The article argues that criminalisation, including client criminalisation models such as the so-called Swedish/Nordic model, is strongly associated with increased violence, exclusion from services, and barriers to justice for sex workers.
At the same time, the paper argues that decriminalisation is a necessary and crucial first step towards improving the safety, labour rights, health, and human rights of sex workers. However, legal reform alone is insufficient without broader anti-stigma interventions, institutional reform, migrant rights protections, and support for sex worker self-organisation.
