Scarlet Alliance

Who do you work with?

Scarlet Alliance - Australian Sex Workers Association is the peak sex workers organisation, representing sex workers and sex workers organisations and projects in Australia. We aim to achieve equality, social, legal, political, cultural and economic justice for sex workers. Our work domestically and in the Asia Pacific region involves capacity and partnership building with sex worker organisations and sex worker leaders.

How are sex workers involved in your organisation?

Sex workers are involved and lead every aspect of Scarlet Alliance. All staff, volunteers and leadership are sex workers. We are governed by an elected executive board that is also sex worker only. We have 2 tiers of organisational membership - full membership for sex worker organisations who are peer led and associate members who do not meet full requirements of membership are involved without voting rights.

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

One of the main goals we work towards is the full decriminalisation of sex work. We work towards achieving sex worker rights (legal, health, industrial and civil) and the recognition of sex work as work. The impact of anti-trafficking on the rights of all sex workers; has led to an increasing push for criminalisation of our work, our clients and workplaces. We lobby and advocate for evidence based policy development and enabling legal environments for all sex workers that support our rights.

Describe other areas of your work

The Scarlet Alliance Migration Project is run for and by migrant sex workers, representing migrant sex worker voices and challenging the myths and stereotypes around migrant sex workers and trafficking. The Scarlet Alliance National Training and Assessment Program (SANTAP) seeks to provide nationally recognised diploma level qualifications recognising the skills and experience of sex worker peer educators.

Country
Australie