European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance |
|
Justice & Policy | Research | Health | Community News & Opportunities |
|
|
We did it! Despite sabotage and attacks on our rights, sx workers triumphed on the 50ᵗʰ anniversary of International Sx Workers’ Day. June 2ⁿᵈ 1975, over 100 brave souls occupied the Church of Saint-Nizier in Lyon, demanding nothing more than basic human dignity, safety, and the right to exist without violence. 50 years later, incredible efforts of sex workers across Europe show our movement is stronger than ever. From the streets of Lyon where it all began, to the halls of Berlin where sex workers drafted legislation that could reshape our future, to the artistic expressions flowing through Italy and Amsterdam, to the powerful voices rising in Barcelona, and even to Ukraine where art blooms despite conflict – it was a tapestry of resistance, resilience, and hope that stretched across the globe. To every activist who marched, every artist who created, every speaker who stood at a podium, every organizer who made it happen, and every person who simply showed up – thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your ESWA team
|
|
|
Justice & Policy
|
European Commission's Public Consultations
|
|
The European Commission has launched two important public consultations. These consultations are open to individual and organisational feedback. Feedback can be provided in the form of an attached document, which can include web links and hyperlinks to support your arguments. ESWA will respond to both consultations with feedback. You are welcome to submit your context- or country-specific feedback directly. The more feedback the Commission receives from ESWA members, the better. However, if you are unable to respond and would like ESWA to address a specific issue in their feedback, please send an email to the ESWA Policy Officer at [email protected].
The public consultations:
|
|
|
The deadline for feedback is 11 August. What could you focus on? Certainly the recognition of the intersectional discrimination faced by sex workers. We want the Strategy to use the term 'sex workers'. We can also expect the Strategy to emphasise the transposition of the new Violence Against Women (VAW) Directive into national legislation. The VAW Directive refers to women in prostitution (whereas the initial Commission proposal referred to 'women sex workers'). In this regard, we can share the findings from the policing research to highlight barriers to accessing justice. The VAW Directive also addresses digital rights. Evidence of digital discrimination against sex workers, image-based abuse and censorship is also vital.
|
|
|
Feedback is required by 5 September 2025. The call for feedback already mentions strengthening meaningful engagement and providing support to all civil society actors, whilst including specific actions to address the shrinking civic space for civil society organisations and human rights defenders who are active in promoting and protecting EU values. In your feedback, you can mention the recognition of sex workers' rights defenders as human rights defenders. You can also address the systemic silencing, sidelining and disregard of your organisations and sex worker rights defenders. You can also mention SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), the suspension of your organisations' social media accounts, attacks from public bodies and politicians, and discrimination in access to resources, funding, and political participation. Emphasise that attacks on sex workers (SWs) are part of a broader anti-gender movement (this recognition is actually very important). |
|
Research |
ESWA's Policy Brief on Police Violence |
|
|
|
|
More languages still to be uploaded!
|
|
Health |
ESWA @ EATG's Community in Scope |
|
The European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG)’s SCOPE project is organising a workshop to bring together community workers from across Europe and Central Asia to exchange on challenges and good, innovative practices in delivering person-centred HIV prevention services. The meeting will focus on populations with inadequate access to the full package of HIV prevention tools and services; specifically for migrants and other people on the move, trans and non-binary people, sex workers, people who use drugs, and gay/bisexual/other men who have sex with men. This is an in-person workshop that will take place between 30 June and 2 July in Berlin, Germany. The workshop will be held in English, interpretation in Russian will be provided. |
|
|
|
|
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! |
Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Around the World |
|
In the book Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Around the World, edited by Marijke Malsch and Janine Janssen, you can find a few interesting chapters on the subject. One of these is chapter seven, written by Emily Kenway, which explores how sex worker-led groups are intervening to prevent harm in their sector. Several ESWA members contributed to this chapter by sharing their experiences. See Chapter Seven: 'You Feel That You Could Have Done So Much More': The Practices and Potentials of Sex Worker–Founded/Led Groups in Tackling Sex Sector Exploitation'. Another chapter that streamlines the perspective of ESWA is Chapter Five, 'Sphere of Influence: The Governance of Sex Workers’ Rights in Contemporary Europe', by ESWA policy officer Irena Fercikova Konecna.
|
|
|
|
Some of our members screened several movies in light of June 2nd, each one of them is recommended!
|
|
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Your support means the world to us!
