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Court-based research: collaborating with the justice system to enhance STI services for vulnerable women in the US http://t.co/3vEaFQVO
The fractal queerness of non-heteronormative migrant #sexworkers in the UK by Nick Mae http://t.co/X7oGFeDI
‘only 31% of the sample of indirect sex workers reported having been engaged in commercial sex in the last 12 months’
Old but good. Violence and Exposure to HIV among #sexworkers in Phnom Penh http://t.co/rkrRGiBa
Someone is Wrong on the Internet: #sex workers’ access to accurate information http://t.co/aMSXhygd
 

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Conference on Migration, Feminism and the Sex Industry

Time: September 15-17, 2010 Venue: University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland Deadline: August 15 Migration has transformed feminists’ ideological conflict about the meaning of prostitution. From being a two-sided debate about whether ’sex work is work’ or ‘violence against women’, the discussion now must consider migration policies that favour ‘highly skilled’, white-collar and technical professionals over those willing to take less prestigious jobs in the informal sector, including the sex industry. Researchers working in the realm of migration and sex work and wishing to present a paper (15 minutes, followed by a 30 minutes discussion) are asked to send a title and

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Helen Clark: Remarks at Inaugural meeting of HIV Global Commission

On the Occasion of the Inaugural Meeting of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law Wednesday, 6 October 2010 First of all, a very warm welcome from me to all Commissioners who have been able to attend this inaugural meeting of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law. I would like to express my gratitude to President Fernando Henrique Cardoso for hosting the meeting at his institute in Brazil – a nation which has long been a leader in the global AIDS response. I also thank Michel Sidibé for his commitment to and support of this Commission’s work.

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Monthly sex worker tests are ridiculous, health experts say

Article by Julia Medew in The Age, May 31, 2011. Health Minister David Davis has backed down from a plan for Victorian sex workers to have fewer tests for sexually transmitted infections, prompting sharp criticism from public health experts who say the plan should go ahead. Last week, a Department of Health project officer told a health and sex work conference the government had approved a move from monthly to three-monthly tests for sex workers in the regulated industry from September. Legal sex workers applauded the move, saying monthly testing was unnecessary as they always used protection.But a spokeswoman for Mr

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NEW! The Global Network of Sex Work Projects, the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers and the Paulo Longo Research Initiative will produce a new version of Making Sex Work Safe

Making Sex Work Safe was developed by sex workers from the early International Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP). It was written by Paulo Longo and Cheryl Overs. It provides global perspectives on information about sex workers, analysis of law and policy and guidance about how to ensure that programmes on sex work are rights based and grounded in communities. History The book was first published in 1996 in partnership with Appropriate Health Resources Technologies Action Group (now called HealthLink) and it quickly became a key resource for new sex work projects despite initially being distributed only in print through

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Sex Work is legal in Bangladesh

Brothel evictions last year sparked angry protests The Bangladeshi High Court has ruled that prostitution as a livelihood is not illegal. Lawyers say the judgement is highly unusual because it makes Bangladesh one of the few Islamic countries which do not ban prostitution. This judgement means that prostitutes in Bangladesh now have the legal authority to practise their trade. The judges made their comments as the court was ruling in a case brought by over 100 sex workers who have been in homes for vagrants since July last year, when two brothels on the outskirts of Dhaka were closed down

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NEW! Update from Rwanda on proposed law reform

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.  The potential impact of changes to the law Although the existing legislation is far from

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How do we quit sex work?

Some people want a world without prostitution and campaign for the criminalisation of our clients. I always argue that the criminalisation of our clients is not going to make us disappear but make our work more clandestine, more dangerous and potentially make us lose (part of) our income. In fact, this measure is counter-productive in particular for the most vulnerable sex workers, those who precisely would want the most to quit sex work. In my view, working in a prohibitionist context means more danger, less income, and therefore having to work more and in more exploitative conditions: which is actually the

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PNG Cabinet endorses review on country’s sex laws

22OCTOBER 2010 PORT MORESBY (THE NATIONAL) —- Papua New Guinea (PNG) Cabinet has endorsed a review on existing laws governing prostitution and unnatural sex offences to be undertaken by the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC). The policy submission, from Community Development Minister Dame Carol Kidu, went before the National Executive Council on 01 June. The council then directed Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Ano Pala to refer the criminal laws and other relevant matters to CLRC. The submission had sought approval to strengthen PNG’s response to HIV/AIDS and review criminal laws on the sex business and consensual homosexual practices

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Sex Work is Decriminalised in Canada

Removal of criminal law removes the main barrier to sex workers achieving justice. It creates a space that can be filled by effective rights based policy and labour regulations and law. This is what happenned in the much touted example of New Zealand.  But ‘decriminalisation’ is not a solution in itself, and it is not a solution if the gap it creates is filled with wrong policy and law.  Good regulations and policy don’t automatically kick in when criminal laws are removed  – even in rich and well governed countries, let alone where regulatory systems generally  are not well organised.  The process

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SEX WORK IS LEGAL IN BANGALDESH

Brothel evictions last year sparked angry protests The Bangladeshi High Court has ruled that prostitution as a livelihood is not illegal. Lawyers say the judgement is highly unusual because it makes Bangladesh one of the few Islamic countries which do not ban prostitution. This judgement means that prostitutes in Bangladesh now have the legal authority to practise their trade. The judges made their comments as the court was ruling in a case brought by over 100 sex workers who have been in homes for vagrants since July last year, when two brothels on the outskirts of Dhaka were closed down

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