An article in the Journal of Law and Society, Volume 37, Number 1, March 2010.
Weitzer explores the growth of what he describes as a moral crusade in the US aimed at expanding the criminalisation of sex work. He shows how there is a growing trend to conflate sex work with human trafficking and explores the impact of this movement on legal norms and government policies. Weitzer believes this trend has been prompted by the expansion of the sex industry and its normalisation in American society.
This case study from 2005 by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network explores sex work related laws and argues for reform of provisions related to sex work in the Criminal Code which undermine sex workers’ ability to realise their human rights.
On the 26-27 June 2011 the Global Commission on HIV and the Law will hold a consultation on the Latin America region. The Commission is working to improve HIV responses by addressing key legal barriers and promoting enabling legal environments.
You can read more about the commission on their website.
This article examines the reasons that there is less support for legalising sex work than homosexuality and drug use.
By Matthew Greenall, independent consultant
According to reports, the new penal code currently being considered by Rwanda’s Senate includes a provision to criminalise sex work. The existing penal code, which dates from the 1970s, gives judicial authorities the option of placing restrictions on the movement of sex workers, and contains a number of provisions against facilitating or promoting sex work, running sex work establishments and living off the earnings of prostitution. The proposed new article would introduce jail terms and fines for sex workers themselves.
This newsletter from Community Socio Economic Development Initiatives (CSDI) covers the proceedings of a meeting held on the 22nd and 23rd of February 2010. The meeting brought together Rwandan civil society organisations working on HIV & AIDS, health promotion and human rights and was lead by the Rwanda NGO Forum on AIDS Health Promotion and Fact Rwanda. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the provision in the draft penal code that would criminalize sex work. This legal provision, article 225, would sentence sex workers to 3 years in jail and a fine of 50.000 to 500.000 RWF.
A report by Crago A-L published by Sex Workers’ Rights Advocacy Network (SWAN) of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The research presented in this report was conducted from September to December 2007 by sex workers and outreach workers from 12 NGOs in 11 countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine). The data in this report reflects the responses from interviews conducted with 218 adult male, female and transgender sex workers in these 11 countries.
A short film produced by the Healthy Options Projects Skopje (HOPS) who partnered with WITNESS as part of a campaign to end violence, marginalisation, and criminalisation of sex workers. This film is hosted on the Hub.
In Macedonia, as throughout the world, sex workers are pushed to the margins of society by a combination of prejudice, discrimination, and violence. Yet, the fact that a person sells sexual services cannot be used as justification for the denial of their fundamental rights, to which all human beings are entitled.
An article by Weitzer R. in the journal Politics & Society, Vol. 35, No. 3, 447-475.
This article examines the social construction of sex trafficking (and prostitution more generally). The analysis documents the increasing endorsement and institutionalization of crusade ideology in U.S. government policy and practice. (adapted from the author’s own summary)
