Feminism Needs Sex Workers, Sex Workers Need Feminism: Towards a Sex-Worker Inclusive Women's Rights Movement

Source
ICRSE
Year
2016

ICRSE has published their second intersection briefing paper entitled Feminism Needs Sex Workers, Sex Workers Need Feminism: Towards a Sex-Worker Inclusive Women's Rights Movement. This briefing paper explores the intersection of feminist ideologies, women’s rights and sex workers’ rights, and the feminist ideals which are included and supported in sex work activism. It calls upon the feminist movement to consider the growing evidence in support of sex work decriminalisation, build an alliance with sex workers and their organisations, and actively support sex workers’ rights and the decriminalisation of sex work.

Contents include:

  • Introduction
  • Feminist perspectives on sex work
    • Radical feminism
    • 'Sex-work' feminism
    • The growing evidence in support of the decriminalisation of sex work
  • The feminist ideals of sex work activism
    • Supporting agency and self-determination
    • Combatting sexism and misogyny
    • Elimination of all forms of gender-based violence
    • Opposing precarisation of labour and feminisation of poverty
  • A feminist movement that sex workers want to see
    • Listen to sex workers and campaign against criminalisation
    • Oppose repressive migration control
    • Include trans people in your movements 
  • Supporting the rights of sex workers through international policies
    • UN Women and the UN CEDAW
    • The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence
    • The EU Victim's Rights Directive
  • 7 steps to make women's rights organisations sex worker inclusive 

You can download this 31-page PDF above. This briefing paper is available in English.