PION Norway CEDAW Shadow Report

Source
PION Norway
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Year
2017

PION, Norway, with support from NSWP, submitted this shadow report to the 68th CEDAW Session, which took place October-November 2017. The report is based on in-depth interviews, conducted over a two-month period, with sex workers and social service providers. It documents how local administrative laws and the criminalisation of clients and third parties increase stigma and discrimination, impede access to justice and health services, and result in arbitrary deportations and evictions.

The report and advocacy in Geneva led the CEDAW Committee to, for the first time, recognise the harms of client criminalisation in its concluding observations:

The Committee is concerned at the unintended consequences of the criminalization since 2009 of the purchase of sexual activity or a sexual act from adults, in particular the higher risk for the personal safety and physical integrity of women in prostitution as reflected in the low reporting rate of physical and sexual violence, exploitation and harassment; and the risk of being evicted from their premises when used for prostitution.

Contents Include:

  • Key concerns for sex workers in Norway
  • Relevant articles in the CEDAW Convention
  • PION's criticisms of the official 2016 State Party Report
  • Media accompaniment in police raids and public shaming of sex workers
  • Undercover police work, illegal eviction and discrimination by hotels
  • Deportation of migrant workers
  • Stay-away orders create barriers to accessing services
  • Use of condoms as evidence
  • Changes in work patterns increase health and safety risks
  • Recommendations.

Their submission may be useful for sex workers who are interested in submitting their own report to CEDAW once their country is reviewed. It is also useful for those interested in learning more about the human rights situation of sex workers in Norway.

You can download this 14 page PDF above. This resource is available in English.

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