Right Side Human Rights Defender NGO

Website
http://rightsidengo.com/
Contact email
rightsidengo@gmail.com
Who do you work with?

Our mission is to ensure well-being, protection and equality of transgender community and sex workers in Armenia by achieving social-cultural and legal changes through co-operation with state bodies, civil society and with international organisations. We are also working with LGBTQI+ community and their families.

How are sex workers involved in your organisation?

Our organisation is a trans-led organisation. 70% of the board and the staff are sex workers. Besides, our main target group are transgender people and sex workers.

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
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

The main challenge that sex workers face is that sex work is prohibited by law. The second challenge is the discriminatory attitude towards them by the Armenian conservative society.

Describe other areas of your work

Besides working with transgender people and sex workers, our activities also include LGBTIQ+ people and young feminist activists from Armenian regions.

Region
Europe
Country
Armenia