sex workers

Hungarian Court Rejects Mandatory Health Certificates for Sex Workers

Hungary’s Constitutional Court has annulled a legal provision requiring sex workers to provide a doctor’s certificate on the ground that it conflicts with article 17 of the 1950 New York Convention. The ruling is to come into force on December 31 this year. The reason given for its Monday ruling is that the certificate demanded by Hungarian law counts as a type of document which should be held by the sex worker, and this conflicts with UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. The legal provision annulled set

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

Chinese Government Detains Sex Worker Activist Calling for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work

On Monday August 2, 2010 police in Beijing detained Ye Haiyan, an activist with community based organisation the China Women’s Rights Workshop, after she joined other sex workers in publicly petitioning for the Chinese government to decriminalise prostitution. The Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) have released a statement in which they explain how they stand in solidarity with Ye Haiyan, human rights defenders, and sex workers who speak up against stigma, discrimination, and the criminalisation of their livelihoods. During the last few weeks, Chinese sex workers have been in the spotlight, with the police practice of “shame parades” that

A Comparison of Male Sex Workers in Prague: Internet Escorts versus Men Who Work in Specialized Bars and Clubs

Prague, the Czech Republic, is a popular sex tourism destination where sex work is decriminalized and young men offer sexual services at low prices relative to countries in Western Europe. This quantitative survey aimed to identify some of the demographic characteristics of these young men and their experiences in the sex industry. Internet escorts (N = 20) and sex workers in bars and clubs (N = 20) completed the survey anonymously in spring 2011. The results showed that sex workers in clubs often had troubled pasts and were forced into sex work to survive. They also reported incidents of violence,

Inside Tauranga's sex industry, New Zealand

“The word illegal and legal makes a big difference.” This article describes conditions under ‘decriminalised’ sex work in New Zealand. It illustrates that there are still many constraints on sex workers and that not all sex work is legal. In Tauranga you are allowed to offer commercial sex services from your house, provided you are the only person operating there.There are five registered brothels, compared with four in 2003. It is illegal to solicit sex on the street. Brothels must only open in areas permitted under council by law and a certificate of compliance and an operator certificate, is needed.

Majority of female sex workers join the trade voluntarily-survey says

A news story in the Health(Y) Destination on May 1 2011. A recent survey conducted at Pune reveals that 70 percent of the female sex workers join the trade voluntarily and they were not forced or sold. Most of the sex workers join the trade only in their later age after relieved from other labour such as domestic work and construction of building work. It is revealed that the sex work is also felt by them as that of the other labour work. The findings were revealed by a survey conducted by ‘First pan-India survey of sex workers’ at Pune

Sex Work and Feminism

This is a clear article that outlines debates around feminism and sex work by Australian activist Kate Holden. Sex work is a major Australian industry, historically ineradicable and, in many states, decriminalised and regulated. Famously ‘the oldest profession’, it is also one of the most trenchantly disputed. In the broader society it is seen as either a normal part of life or a vile, sorrowful trade. For feminism, it is associated with the fracture in ideology that splits ‘victim feminism’ from ‘power feminism’ in complicated but increasingly onerous ways. So, what is sex work? What are the problems people have

Centers for Change: Drop-In Centers Facilitate Sex Worker-Led Human Rights Advocacy

Drop-in centers are often the only places where sex workers can access health care, legal counseling, and other direct services. They also provide a safe space for sex workers to congregate, document abuses, and mobilize for advocacy. The role of drop-in centers is critical given the extreme and rampant violations of sex workers’ human rights in most places around the world. Common violations include physical and sexual violence, unsafe and unjust working conditions, extortion, and lack of access to justice, health care, social welfare, and other services. The Open Society Foundations interviewed staff from seven drop-in centers in six countries

Sex Workers Mobilising in Namibia, Reports and Resources

UN consultant Mathew Greenall shares resources about recent work with sex workers in Namibia, including a literature review. ‘In Namibia, as in many other countries, sex workers have limited opportunities to be heard when they want to talk about human rights, and as a result, the discussions are often constrained by the need to relate them to issues like HIV or trafficking. In this context it is heartening to see not only that news outlets in Namibia gave significant coverage to the events organised by local sex worker organisations (front page of The Namibian; articles in New Era and Republiklein), but

Stop Harassing Us! Tackle Real Crime!, A Report on Human Rights Violations by Police Against Sex Workers in South Africa

The findings in this report highlight the gap between the rights enshrined in the South African Constitution and treatment meted out to sex workers. Even under the present, imperfect law, there is a stark contradiction between the actions of police and the due process laid out by the law for them to follow. Based on the complaints of 308 sex workers, the WLC found the following: • Almost one in six of the sex workers who approached the WLC had been sexually or physically assaulted, and one in three had been harassed, by the police; • Of the 45 percent

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