african sex worker alliance

African Sex Worker Alliance Statement

Delegates from the African Sex Worker Alliance (ASWA) and a church leader from Nigeria gathered in Pretoria from the 28th September to 10th October for a second historic meeting as a follow up to the first ever African sex worker lead conference in February 2009. A total of 40 Sex workers and 24 alliance partners committed to the human rights of sex workers from Southern, Eastern and Western Africa under went strategic review and human and health rights defense. We recognize and acknowledge the importance and necessity of an African human rights approach in redressing human rights issues among sex

What is a representative sex worker?

The claim that the sex workers’ rights movement is a purely white, western phenomenon is one of abolitionism’s biggest falsehoods. In fact, Global South sex workers could teach their Northern counterparts a thing or two when it comes to organising for sex workers’ rights. Here is a videoclip of sex workers in Sonagachi, Calcutta, marching against criminalisation of their industry. Here is a photo of members of the Asia-Pacific Network of Sex Workers holding a banner with their slogan, “Don’t talk to me about sewing machines. Talk to me about workers’ rights” (a reference to their annoyance at “rescuers” whose

The African Sex Worker Alliance launch new research on human rights

The African Sex Worker Alliance (ASWA), Bar Hostess, Sisonke and SWEAT in conjunction with the Ford Foundation, OXFAM NOVIB, UNDP and OXFAM GB are to launch research on human rights violations against sex workers. They explain, “Some of the problems sex workers face include murder, systematic and regular violence and rape, stigmatization and marginalization and lack of access to health care clinics. Serial killing is not uncommon with cases reported last year in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa. In many incidents these cases are not investigated. The complexity and vast variations within the sex industry are not embraced and simplified. Over