DECRIM NOW WORLD NEWS DIGEST FOR FEBRUARY 2024

Rights groups of India demand courteous, inclusive language for sex workers

India, Delhi

February 1, 2024

More than 3,600 persons affiliated with various women’s rights and sex workers organisations are up in arms over the problematic terminology used by the UN Special Rapporteur while calling for inputs for the report on violence against women and girls.

This year the thematic report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council at its 56th session in June. It proposes to examine the nexus between the global phenomenon of prostitution and violence against women and girls. Hence the UN Special Rapporteur had called for inputs to the report to better understand the relationship between prostitution and violence against women, to clarify terms, approaches and actions that states should take to maintain the spirit of the international human rights law, and to effectively protect women and girls from all forms of violence.

However, what has not gone down well is the problematic terminology used by the Special Rapporteur in her call for inputs.

“The Special Rapporteur seems to have rejected the term ‘sex worker’ in favour of denigrating and archaic terms such as “women who have been prostituted”, which embody the idea of women not in control of their own destiny and livelihood,” 3640 members of various organisations have said in their petition submitted to UN High Commissioner of Human Rights and UN special rapporteur among others.

Advocates Vrinda Grover and Aarthi Pai who mentored the submission of the petition from Sex Workers and Allies South Asia (SWASA) have said that Special Rapporteur’s call for inputs exemplifies the ‘rights- unfriendly’ terms and assumptions against which sex workers and their allies have struggled for decades.

The National Network of Sex Workers (NNSW) a pan-India network of over 1,50,000 female, trans and male sex workers have also, in writing, flagged concerns about the terminology used. “There must be a clear separation of women and girls, who should not be clubbed with the category of adult women. The terms prostitution and prostituted women are not used in the Indian context. The Supreme Court of India (SCI) has issued a Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes offers guidance on avoiding harmful gender stereotypes and suggests that the word prostitute be replaced with ‘sex worker’,” members of NNSW have said in their petition.

Source indianexpress.com

Protestors rally for sex workers’ Bill of Rights which would end police raids on gay bars

USA, Washington

February 19, 2024

Protestors have rallied alongside sex workers at the Washington State Capitol in support of a bill which would improve conditions in adult venues, dubbed the “Strippers Bill of Rights”.
The “Strippers Bill of Rights”, Senate Bill 6105, would also prevent statewide lewd conduct regulations, which transpired in four LGBTQ+ clubs in Seattle being raided by local authorities. 

Protestors, including adult dancers, gathered in Olympia, Washington, on 19 February to call for changes to the laws, as well as demand better working conditions in venues which host nude dancing. 

The “Strippers’ Bill of Rights” would limit the fees strip clubs can charge dancers for performing, ban local ordinances which mandate the distance between dancers and customers, and require venues to provide security staff. The laws would also ensure mandatory training for performers to de-escalate conflicts with customers and prevent sex trafficking. 

Earlier this month, authorities announced that charges would be dropped against the establishments with registered “lewd conduct violations”, while they also said they would pause enforcement of such regulations. 

Local publication The Stranger claimed JET inspected 15 venues at the end of January, including four LGBTQ+ clubs, with “lewd conduct violations” registered. Other places included a college bar, a music venue and a bowling alley.

Source thepinknews.com

Former sex workers diagnosed with HIV can get a clean slate thanks to a new Tennessee bill

USA, Nashville, Tennessie

February 23, 2024

A bill that would revise a law targeting people with HIV who are convicted of sex work is heading to the Governor’s desk. Tennessee is the only state that has a law like this.

The current law requires those who are convicted of sex work to have to register as a sex offender if they are HIV positive. Tennessee is the only state with this law, passed in 1991.

This law was challenged in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by the U.S. Justice Department against the state of Tennessee and the TBI for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Advocates of the bill like Thistle Farms — a group that helps women who have been exploited, recover — said the old law placed harmful barriers for survivors when they tried to access housing, employment, and recovery services in the aftermath of trafficking.

More than 19,500 people are reported to be living with HIV in Tennessee according to the state Department of Health as of 2021.

Once the bill is signed by Governor Bill Lee, it will allow trafficking victims to get their prostitution offense expunged. They can also request removal from the sex offender registry if they have no other violations that would require them to be listed.

Source newschannel5.com

Department of Justice to complete sex work review itself

Ireland, Dublin

February 28, 2024

The Department of Justice is to complete a review of the law criminalising the purchase of sex by itself instead of appointing another independent consultant to finish the work.

Solicitor Maura Butler SC was appointed in 2020 to lead an independent review of Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, as required within three years of it coming into effect.

However, the review has been repeatedly delayed and Ms Butler eventually agreed to step down from the role.

Last week, justice minister Helen McEntee said the Department had sought expressions of interest for a new study lead and subsequently considered “all options for concluding this work”.

“In view of the research already undertaken and the work done compiling and analysing the submissions received, all of which have been made available to my Department, I have decided that the most efficient way to complete the review is for the Data and Research Unit in my department to draft the report using the material provided,” she said.

“I believe this approach will ensure the review is completed without any further undue delay and I expect it will be completed by Q3 of this year.”

Source irishlegal.com

Britons want to destigmatise prostitution… sort of

Great Britain

February 29, 2024

Britons think prostitution should be destigmatised. They just don’t want to be friends with prostitutes, and they certainly don’t want their children to enter the field, a new YouGov poll found.

“Our new study looks at British attitudes to sex work and sex workers.

Key findings include:

9% of men say they have paid for sex

52% of Brits say it should be legal to pay for sex

51% say sex work should not be stigmatised

43% say sex work is ’real work’”

Just over half said it should be legal to pay and be paid for sex, and roughly the same proportion of respondents said prostitution shouldn’t be stigmatised. Meanwhile, 77% would be upset if their child became a stripper, and 85% said the same about their child becoming a prostitute. Only 6% were willing to enter a relationship with a prostitute, and 41% were willing to be friends with a prostitute. Men, in their generosity, were markedly more likely than women to say they’re willing to befriend prostitutes and strippers.

Source unherd.com