OPSI (Organisasi Perubahan Sosial Indonesia)

Who do you work with?

OPSI is a National network of sex workers work with - female, male and transgender sex workers (as the main beneficiary). we also work with government and others organization and networks in term of HIV and STI prevention, such as National AIDS Commission, gay, transgender and MSM Indonesia Network. We also work with other CSO in civil society movement, such as: women movement, Human Right defender organizations

How are sex workers involved in your organisation?

sex workers who Initiate and form our organization network, 7 people from the board members are sex workers and come from all regions in Indonesia. Most of (90%) the staff are sexworkers and the executive coordinator must be from the sex worker community

Which of NSWP priority areas does your organisation work on?
Oppose the criminalisation and other legal oppression of sex work and support its recognition as work
Critique the trafficking paradigm that conflates representations of sex work, migration, and mobility
Advocate for universal access to health services, including primary health care, HIV and sexual and reproductive health services
Speak out about violence against sex workers, including violence from police, institutions, clients, and intimate partners, while challenging the myth that sex work is inherently gender-based violence
Oppose human rights abuses, including coercive programming, mandatory testing, raids and forced rehabilitation
Challenge stigma and discrimination against sex workers, their families and partners, and others involved in sex work
Advocate for the economic empowerment and social inclusion of sex workers as sex workers
What are the two main challenges that the sex workers you work with face

1. stigma and discrimination towards sex worker (even self stigmatization) which led sex workers onto abuse and violence, also the lack of capacity of sex workers to lead the organization
2. the increasing of fundamentalism, this movement has involved into the governmental process and the implication goes to the result of formalisation religion in to the formal law/regulation
3. the closure of brothels

Describe other areas of your work

Other areas refer to sex worker empowerment and provide critical education for sex workers, with the empowerment strategy it is easier to develop advocacy action against discriminative regulation. Also working with the UN agencies in Indonesia and the government and other CSO.

Country
Indonesia