Justice & policy | Access to Health | Digital Rights | Campaigning and Media | Research | Community Spotlight | Opportunities

ESWA is now also on Bluesky - give us a follow there!

Dear Friends, Supporters & Allies, we would like to start by sharing an important update on changes in ESWA leadership:

After four years of service, leadership, and passion, Sabrina Sanchez is stepping down from her role as Executive Director of ESWA. Sabrina’s leadership over the past four years, and her decades of activism before this, have played an important role in our movement and advanced the rights and visibility of sex workers across Europe and Central Asia. The ESWA Board and the ESWA Team would like to express our deep gratitude to Sabrina for her commitment and dedication to our shared mission. We wish her every success in her future endeavours and continued engagement in and out of the sex workers’ rights movement.

In line with the legal requirements, the Board of Directors has appointed Yigit Aydinalp as Interim Executive Director to ensure the smooth functioning of ESWA during this transition period. Yigit will work closely with the Board and the team to maintain stability and continuity as we move forward.

The recruitment process for the new Executive Director will be launched in November, and the ESWA Team will share the details with you once the position is advertised.

We want to assure all members that ESWA will continue to function as usual and that our core work, projects, and advocacy remain on track. However, we kindly ask for your patience and understanding if some internal processes take a little longer during this transition period.

In solidarity,
ESWA Team

We warmly congratulate our Senior Policy Officer, Irena Ferčíková Konečná, on her election as a Green Party Member of Parliament in the Czech Republic. Irena has played an integral role in ESWA for seven years, spearheading our policy initiatives and establishing ESWA as a recognised advocate for sex workers' rights. Thanks to her dedication, sex workers’ perspectives are now being represented more frequently in national and international policy discussions.

Irena will continue her work at ESWA until the end of the year and will be available for ad hoc consultancy in 2026. We are proud to have such a committed ally of sex workers in the national parliament. As promised, Irena will also represent sex workers’ rights at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), where she has already been nominated by her party.

Justice & Policy

Advancing Trans and Sex Workers’ Rights through the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy

Party of European Socialists (PES) Resolution

On 16 October, the Party of European Socialists (PES) voted on the resolution More Feminism = More Democracy. ESWA was alerted to three harmful amendments proposed by Swedish Socialists, the Spanish PSOE, and usual suspects MEPs (Maria Noichl and Helene Fritzon). While we appreciate that the most damaging elements—such as explicit references to client criminalisation—were ultimately removed, the final text still failed to meaningfully include the voices of sex workers and frames sex work as prostitution and predominantly through a trafficking lens, overlooking the nuances that meaningful consultation would have provided. ESWA stresses that inclusive policymaking must centre those most affected and remains available for constructive dialogue. Together with allied organisations, ESWA has also initiated and sent a joint open letter to the PES Presidency expressing these concerns. The adopted resolution now represents the official position of the PES and guides the political stance of its member parties and representatives across Europe.

Dignity By Design: A Transdisciplinary Workshop Meaningfully Includes Sex Workers in Law and Research Discussions

We are pleased to report on the recent Dignity by Design for Sex Workers transdisciplinary international workshop, fostering crucial dialogue between academics, lawyers and sex worker activists. The workshop was highly interactive, meaningfully including sex workers, researchers and allied partners to ensure a community-driven focus on reform. Discussions covered an overview of national legislation, research methodology, and the collective organisation of sex work research. A dedicated session focused critically on strategic litigation, includinga discussion on the European Court of Human Rights' (ECHR) rejection of sex workers' rights in the M.A. and Others v. France case. Building on the momentum generated by this event, we are particularly keen to continue exploring strategic litigation as a means of effectively advocating and litigating for sex workers' rights in the aftermath of the 2024 ECHR decision.

Photo: Marjan Wijers (Sekswerkexpertis NL) and Sarah-Marie Maffesoli (Médecins do Monde, FR).

Access to Health

ESWA at the Person-Centred Care Academy

ESWA at European Aids Conference

Sign the Community Declaration

Together with the HIV Prevention Alliance, we co-wrote a Community Declaration demanding more community involvement in the development of clinical aids guidelines. The declaration was widely shared and officially endorsed by the European AIDS Clinical Society.

A Highlight: Margins to Mainstream

If you are based or working in France, make sure to check out the amazing initiatives presented during the event: Projet Jasmine, Griseldis, SNAP!, Cabiria, PDA, Acceptess T and Les Roses d’acier.

Digital Rights

BIPOC Academy 2025

We’re thrilled to share with you the final programme for the BIPOC Academy 2025!

We hope you are as excited as we are for this important space, and we look forward to welcoming such a powerful group of BIPOC and sex workers' rights activist in Barcelona.

We will publish a blog post and media recapping the event afterwards, so stay tuned! 

Campaigning and Media

Sex Workers’ Pride Community Video Deadline Extended: 30.11.2025

We’re creating a community video project to amplify what you wish the world knew about sex work. As we continue celebrating 50 years of International Sex Workers’ Day, our goal is to gather 50 voices from across Europe.

📩 Interested to participate? Record a short (1 min) video answering:
'What do you wish the world knew about sex work?'

There is a €30 voucher as remuneration (Paypal possible). Deadline extended: 30 November.

You can stay anonymous, be creative, and share your perspective however you like. The videos will be published on ESWA channels and used for advocacy.

Crossings now available in Spanish

One of all-time favourite documentaries about migrant sex workers, 'Crossings' is now available with Spanish subtitles.

ESWA sincerely thanks our ally who volunteered their time to create these subtitles and make the movie accessible to the Spanish speaking community. 

Would you like to help translating 'Crossings' to your language? Contact [email protected]

Research

Have you read ESWA's newest research yet?

Academic and policy research on sex work has too often misrepresented sex workers’ realities, reinforced stigma, and sometimes caused harm. Sex workers have long called for approaches based on the principle 'nothing about us, without us.' This report was developed to address these problems and to set out clear standards that put sex workers’ rights, safety and voices at the centre of research.

You can also watch a recording of the launch event, with key findings presented by the researchers, followed by a discussion. Click on the image below to watch the webinar.

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].

A message from the Committee for the Civil Rights of Prostitutes – Italy September in Pordenone: Stories, Struggles and Sisterhood

Another unforgettable moment came with KRANTI, an organisation supporting the daughters of sex workers in India. Hearing the young women share their journeys from Mumbai’s red-light districts to universities across Europe was deeply moving: a reminder that where others see shame, they see power.

Equally powerful was Nicole De Leo’s performative reading of Puttana Femministaby Georgina Orellano, recently translated into Italian, alongside extracts from the diaries of Griselidis Réal. As a leading trans activist and former president of MIT (Movimento Identità Trans), her performance resonated deeply. This translation marks an important step for the national sex workers’ movement, bridging international struggles through feminist and workers’ voices.

NTC Turns 4! Honouring International Day for Tolerance & Trans Rights

This November, NTC will celebrate its 4th Anniversary, coinciding with the International Day for Tolerance on November 17, 2025. Over the past four years, with your invaluable support, they have worked together to strengthen the trans community, advance human rights, and promote inclusion and dignity in Armenia and across the region.

As part of their anniversary event, they will be showcasing a short video compilation featuring messages from our friends, allies, and partners who have walked this path with them. NTC would be deeply honored if you could record a brief congratulatory video (30–60 seconds) sharing your wishes, reflections, or solidarity message for NTC and the trans community in Armenia.

Your message can be in English, Armenian, or your native language, and can be recorded using a phone (horizontally, please). Please send your video by November 10, 2025, to [email protected] (via direct email, Google Drive, or WeTransfer).

For any questions, please feel free to contact the Communications Head, Arman Safaryan, at [email protected].

Available Now: OTRAS' proposal for decriminalisation

OTRAS have released their proposal for the decriminalisation of sex work. The publication is now available both as a printed book and in a newly released digital version. OTRAS will continue presenting the work across the Iberian Peninsula throughout November.

Opportunities

Help Needed! Sign the Petition

ESWA member HPLGBT invites you to support the petition 'STOP-181.1: Repeal Article 181-1 to Protect the Health and Rights of Sex Workers in Ukraine.'

Article 181-1 of Ukraine’s Administrative Offences Code criminalises consensual sex work, putting thousands of people at risk of violence, stigma, and barriers to healthcare.

By signing, you will help urge the Ukrainian government to repeal this outdated and harmful law and adopt an evidence-based, human-rights-centered approach.

Webinar: The Threat to Sex Workers from Loss of US and Dutch Foreign Aid Funding

November 13, 2025: 9:00 am- 10:00 am EST/ 1:00-2:00 UTC

In this webinar for funders, sex workers and allies, the Sex Work Donor Collective(SWDC) will introduce their new Briefing Paper: The Threat to Sex Workers from Loss of US and Dutch Foreign Aid Funding. Until the recent slashes in funding, the US and the Netherlands provided vital support to sex workers around the world through programs on public health, ending violence and systems change. Approximately how much funding is threatened by recent cuts? What was this funding supporting? What will these cuts mean for global sex workers? How should foundations and donor governments respond to this moment? SWDC will answer these questions, with time for conversation with the researchers and with sex worker leaders. Join them!

This webinar will be offered in multiple languages.

Hydra e.V. is looking for anonymous police violence testimonies

ESWA member Hydra e.V. is launching an anti-stigma campaign, combined with an art project, to show what life as a sex worker is really like, beyond stereotypes and misconceptions.

They are looking for people willing to share their experiences.
Get in touch if you want to participate with [email protected]

Call for Papers: Care Work, Intimate Labour, Migration, and Exploitation

Anti-Trafficking Review invites submissions for a special issue exploring the intersections of care work, intimate labour, migration, and exploitation. The issue seeks critical perspectives on gendered labour, state systems, and workers’ resistance, with contributions welcomed from scholars, practitioners, and workers themselves.

Deadline: 1 December 2025
Publication: September 2026
Full papers (5,000–7,000 words) and short pieces (1,200–1,500 words) are accepted.
📧 Submit abstracts to: [email protected]
🔗 More info and guidelines

Open Call for Artists (or Not!)

UTSOPI is bringing the card game Moi, c’est Maîtresse ! to life and they’re looking for community-made illustrations! No artistic experience needed just your creativity and perspective.

The game helps players practice verbal self-defense against stigma and discrimination around sex work. We invite sex workers to contribute simple black-and-white drawings (digital or on paper) for one or more cards.

Unfortunately, this is an unpaid project, but all contributors will be credited (if they wish) and become part of a collective effort to destigmatize sex work through art and play.

Deadline: 2 November 2025
Submit to: [email protected], info here

The Passing of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy

ESWA would like to mark the passing of a Black Trans revolutionary and sex worker from the United States, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (October 25th, 1946 - October 13th, 2025). Miss Major was a radical activist who fought tirelessly for the rights of Trans women of colour throughout her life; she survived the Stonewall Riots (in her own words, she was only down by the Stonewall Inn that night because she had a client in the area), incarceration, police brutality, transphobia, and racism and became a legendary Black Trans elder. A former street-based sex worker, she was a pioneer of sex worker activism and created ingenious mutual aid and community survivance strategies. Miss Major founded the House of gg/The Oasis/TILIFI (Tell It Like It Fuckin’ Is), a space of refuge for Trans people of colour in the U.S. South in 2019. In 2025, she’d suffered from health issues yet continued to campaign against transphobic legislation in the United States.

You can read a write-up that our Communications Intern Mirage wrote about Miss Major’s legacy for the Tryst.link blog through the red button, purchase and watch the documentary MAJOR!, or buy Miss Major’s (highly recommended) book of wisdom Miss Major Speaks, co-written with Toshio Meronek.

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!

Major! (2015), by Annalise Ophelian

Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary (2023), by Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and Toshio Meronek

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy is a veteran of the infamous Stonewall Riots, a former sex worker, and a transgender elder and activist who has survived Bellevue psychiatric hospital, Attica Prison, the HIV/AIDS crisis and a world that white supremacy has built. She has shared tips with other sex workers in the nascent drag ball scene of the late 1960s, and helped found one of America's first needle exchange clinics from the back of her van.

Miss Major Speaks is both document of her brilliant life-told with intimacy, warmth and an undeniable levity-and a roadmap for the challenges black, brown, queer and trans youth will face on the path to liberation today.