Resources

This paper Sex Worker-Driven Research: Best Practice Ethics, was developed by sex worker-led organisation Scarlet Alliance’s director, Elena Jeffreys. Based upon the August 2009 International Sex Worker Think Tank on Research, the paper discusses best practice ways of involving sex workers in research.

This is the Report of the Committee on HIV/AIDS which documents the discussions leading up to the drafting process of ILO Recommendation No. 200 on HIV/AIDS and the world of work (you can download this document as a separate source by following this link).  

The first international labour standard on HIV and AIDS in the world of work was adopted by governments, employers’ and workers’ representatives from ILO member States at the International Labour Conference in June 2010.

This report was commissioned and funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and implemented by the Sex Work Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT). The report found that during the 2010 World Cup period, there was a small increase in the number of female sex workers who advertised online and in newspapers and sex workers did not typically see more clients during the World Cup period. The report also found that sex workers' demographics did not change significantly during the World Cup. The date does not support fears about an increase of children or foreign migrant sex workers into the sex industry during the World Cup.

Short report in English of the work of the UNAIDS Advisory Group on HIV and Sex Work during 2010.

This is the Plain English version of the Note for Record of the June 2010 UNAIDS Advisory Group on HIV and Sex Work.

This is the English version of the Note for Record of the June 2010 UNAIDS Advisory Group on HIV and Sex Work.

This paper sets out the priorities of the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) developed for the period 2010-2012. It records the outcomes of the 2009 strategic planning process undertaken by the NSWP Board and is intended to inform both internal discussions and conversations with potential donors. This Strategic Plan will be adapted and developed into formal funding proposals for NSWP core activities.

Sex Workers mark the 3rd International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers with a protest at the 6th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong. 

December 17 is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers and each year sex-worker organisations in different parts of the world organise different activities to commemorate the sex workers who have been abused and/or killed, and urge the public to respect sex workers' human rights. Just in time for the 6th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference (MC6) held in Hong Kong, sex-worker organisations from all over the world (Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Cambodia) marched and held exhibitions to help the public understand more about the situation of sex workers, and to eliminate violence against sex workers.

For more information on Prostitution Issues at the World Conference on Women Beijing '95 see the Prostitutes Education Network at: http://www.bayswan.org/UNpage.html.

Trafficking Statement from the North American Delegates of the Network of Sex Work Projects

Recognizing that fraudulent and coercive trafficking and forced prostitution have historically been problems, threatening the health and well-being of women in developing countries, as well as women in post-industrialized countries, and

These terms of reference, developed jointly by representatives of the Global Working Group on HIV and Sex Work Policy and United Nations system, seek to enhance consultation on HIV and sex work between UNAIDS and sex workers.

In response to the traditional emphasis on the rights, interests, and well-being of individual research subjects, there has been growing attention focused on the importance of involving communities in research development and approval.

Sex workers are frequently omitted from discussions about the links between criminalisation, marginalisation, and increased HIV transmission. At the IAS 2010 conference in Vienna, substantial attention was focused on the negative impacts that criminalisation has on men who have sex with men, injection drug users, and people living with HIV—but very little on its effects on sex workers. Few outside of the Global Village explicitly called for decriminalisation of sex work or mentioned that laws criminalizing HIV transmission and exposure exacerbate the damage already being done to sex workers' health and rights. This article explores this omission, how other hard-hit constituencies have struggled for their place on the HIV/AIDS advocacy agenda, and why the HIV/AIDS field should be actively collaborating with sex workers' rights organisations, particularly on anti-criminalisation work.

Research for Sex Work 12: Sex Work and Violence is a peer-reviewed publication for sex workers, activists, health workers, researchers, NGO staff and policy makers. It is available in English and Russian. All issues of Research for Sex Work can be found here.

This paper is the product of discussions of the Thematic Task Team on Creating an Enabling Legal and Policy Environment in preparation for the 1st Asia and the Pacific Regional Consultation on HIV and Sex Work, 12 – 15 October 2010 in Pattaya, Thailand.

The meeting was organised by Different Avenues, Women of Colour United and Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), and was held at OSI in Washington, D.C. OSI commissioned the analysis of U.S. immigration law and review of the grounds for inadmissibility to inform conversations about a waiver process for sex workers, people who use drugs and those with criminal convictions to attend the 2012 AIDS conference that is planned to be held in the U.S..

This document is a collection of fact sheets discussing the reasons for and effects of decriminalisation of sex work worldwide, including health, safety, worker's rights, children's rights, public health, economics, and women's rights.

Research for Sex Work 8: Sex Work and Law Enforcement is a peer-reviewed publication for sex workers, activists, health workers, researchers, NGO staff and policy makers. It is available in English. All issues of Research for Sex Work can be found here.

This document is a collection of a number of papers presenting a broad overview of current research and data on trafficking in particular regions of the world. Nine of the articles focus on specific regions, and three of the articles explore issues relating to research methods. The papers, in total, give readers an opportunity to not only see the current state of research on global trafficking, but to also consider the suggestions by some authors for areas in need of more study.

“Demand” is a current buzzword among some anti-trafficking activists, in which they argue that demand for sex work drives trafficking in persons, and that arresting clients who patronize sex workers will reduce the problem. However, demand for sex work is not a predominant driving factor for trafficking, which is driven by poverty, race, and gender inequities.

You can download this 1 page PDF resource above. This resource is in English.