Where our members work

NSWP’s members are local, national and regional sex worker organisations and networks, across five regions: Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Europe (including Eastern Europe and Central Asia); Latin America and North America and the Caribbean. Members in each region elect two representatives to the NSWP Board of Directors.

All member organisations are required to endorse NSWP’s core values and the Consensus Statement on Sex Work, Human Rights, and the Law. Only sex worker-led organisations and networks have voting rights.

NSWP members are from diverse cultures and have different experiences and organisational histories. Most are independent sex worker-led organisations, some are informal groups of sex workers within larger organisations and some are non-governmental organisations who support sex workers rights. Some member organisations provide services, some focus on advocacy, some on mobilising to reduce vulnerability – all work on human rights issues that affect the health and well-being of sex workers.

You can find our members through the regional pages or by clicking on the red umbrellas on the map.

Note: For both safety and security NSWP does not identify which members are sex worker-led on our website, and members can choose not to be listed on the public website.

Regional updates

6th March 2024 | Region: Global

NSWP is pleased to announce the appointment of Anna Shapiro as Policy Manager. 

1st March 2024 | Region: Global

Sex worker groups around the world hold events and actions to mark International Sex Workers’ Rights Day, which is held annually on 3rd March.

19th December 2023 | Region: Global

On 17th December each year, sex workers around the world mark International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. The day is used to highlight the need for action to end violence against sex workers. The issues faced by sex workers often vary from region to region, due to different laws, social and cultural contexts, but one common issue faced by all sex workers is their vulnerability to and experience of violence.

23rd November 2023 | Region: Global

NSWP is seeking to recruit a Policy Manager. NSWP will consider applications from individuals interested in working either as a staff member (based in the UK), or as a consultant (based outside the UK). The post is part-time (80% FTE). 

6th November 2023 | Region: Global

Statement of Support for the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls regarding their Position Paper on Eliminating Discrimination Against Sex Workers and Securing their Human Rights

3rd November 2023 | Region: Europe

Last week a phishing scam from someone pretending to be a major advertising site contacted non-national sex workers who are currently advertising. Later in the week, these texts escalated into extreme threats of violence, including threats of murder. 

Separately a man with an Irish accent has been calling sex workers, harassing them with threats of violence.  All of this is part of an ongoing, sustained campaign of harassment with serious time and resources being put into it. 

18th October 2023 | Region: Europe

This article was written by Marin Scarlett, Campaign and Communications Officer at the European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance (ESWA).

Sex worker rights activists’ success against the ‘Prostitution Report’ was the culmination of months of campaigning – that must continue in the next fight against the Anti-Trafficking Directive.

11th October 2023 | Region: North America and the Caribbean

This article was written by an NSWP member in Canada.

11th September 2023 | Region: Europe

NSWP has submitted this letter to Members of the European Parliament as they prepare to discuss the report, “Regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights, 2022/2139(INI)”. 

The report, from the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality will be put to a vote in plenary on 14th September.

The European Coalition on Sex Workers’ Rights and Inclusion have also published an Open Letter.

5th September 2023 | Region: Europe

NSWP welcomes the European Court of Human Rights decision to hear an appeal by sex workers against a French anti-sex work law. The ruling came on Thursday 31st August, more than three years after receiving an application from 261 sex workers challenging the 2016 ‘Prostitution Act’. NSWP join the European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance (ESWA) in applauding the 261 sex workers who stood up to pursue their fundamental rights.

21st June 2023 | Region: Global

Red Umbrella Fund's call for grant applications opened on Friday 16 June and is accepting applications until 28 July (18:00 CET).

We have summarised key information below but for more information and to apply, visit Red Umbrella Fund’s website.

The call for applications will accept applications in English, French, Russian, Spanish and this year they will also accept applications in Chinese (simplified).

5th June 2023 | Region: Global

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

19th May 2023 | Region: Europe

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].

16th May 2023 | Region: Africa

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.

4th May 2023 | Region: Africa

On 21 March, Ugandan lawmakers approved new legislation that, if adopted, would violate multiple fundamental rights and criminalise the LGBTQI+ community.

NSWP member organisation Transgender Equality Uganda explains more about the bill, its penalties, and its consequences.