Tikkun Olam Belize

Who do you work with?

We work with all sex workers including LBTQI who identify as survival or independent sex workers. We also work with the occasional cis gender male sex worker who comes to us for services we offer as an ngo. We work with clients of sex workers to educate them in public or onsite activities.

How are sex workers involved in your organisation?

Sex workers in our ngo are involved either as a member of the Board of Directors , a supporter or volunteer, or a participant in any of the activities or programs we may run.

Which of NSWP priority areas does your organisation work on?
Critique the trafficking paradigm that conflates representations of sex work, migration, and mobility
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.) A lack of effective, updated, comprehensive economic empowerment programs for sex workers as an academically and economically marginalized group.
2.)A lack of trauma informed, victim centered personal development programs that would empower sex workers with tools for increased psychoemotional health to encourage organization, unionization and human rights advocacy by sex workers for sex worker rights.

Describe other areas of your work

I, the founding Director/President, wear two caps and find a middle ground in the matter of Anti-human trafficking and Civil and Political Rights Activism separate in some way from my sex worker rights activism.
In such light, I am engaged in providing Victim’s rights advocacy, trial advocacy, political advocacy in addition to my anti-trafficking intelligence gathering work with police and other state agencies under human services. TOB advocates for police to work adequately and in an informed manner with marginalized persons affected by gender based violence and institutional discrimination.
Tikkun Olam Belize is the only anti human trafficking by sex workers in Belize. We constantly have to fight against the conflation of sex work and human trafficking or sex trafficking.

Country
Belice