International Sex Workers’ Day is held annually to mark the 1975 occupation of Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France. The church was occupied by around 100 sex workers, all protesting their criminalised and exploitative living conditions. Sex workers continue to mark the day every year with events and actions calling for the fulfilment of their rights. Each year NSWP focuses on the theme of access to justice on 2nd June.This is how NSWP member organisations marked International Sex Workers’ Day 2023 across five regions.Africa

In early May, Portugal's Constitutional Court declared the criminalisation of some third parties involved in sex work to be unconstitutional. Under current law in Portugal any form of organised sex work is prohibited, including brothel-keeping. Profiting from, promoting, encouraging or facilitating 'prostitution' are also criminal offences, and this also affects sex workers’ ability to work together and work safely[1].

Platform Layalat, a network advocating in Morocco for the rights of sex workers in general and transgender women sex workers in particular, released the following statement regarding the lack of representation of transgender women in the country dialogue for the new grant request to the Global Fund.