Decrim now world news digest for March 2026

Gender minister of South Korea issues apology to former sex work victims near US bases

South Korea, Seoul

March 7, 2026

Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong issued an apology to former sex workers Saturday whose rights were violated in now-defunct brothels built around American military bases, marking the government’s first official apology.

"As the gender minister dealing with gender equality and women’s rights, I offer my sincere apologies to the victims for the state’s actions that violated their human rights at the Gijichon," Won said in a message marking International Women’s Day, which falls Sunday.

"We will make every effort necessary to ensure that the history of human rights violations suffered by the victims is not forgotten and that they live the rest of their lives with dignity and fully restore their damaged honor," she added.

The apology came more than three-and-a-half years after the Supreme Court in 2022 ordered the state to pay between 3 million and 7 million won ($2,086-$4,866) in compensation each to a total of 95 former sex workers from brothels at villages around U.S. military bases, known as "base villages" or "Gijichon" in Korean.

The victims filed the suit in 2014, claiming the government had abetted such practices by systemically designating such areas, allowing establishments to operate and thus virtually allowing prostitution.

Source portal koreatimes.co.kr

Sex Workers’ Union condemns the night-time closure of brothels, will encourage illegal prostitution

Belgium, Brussels

March 17, 2026

The mayors of Schaarbeek, Martin de Brabant (Francophone liberal MR), and Sint-Joost-ten-Node, Emir Kir (Burgomaster’s List), have jointly decided that businesses in the Brabant and North Quarters near the North Station must close between 1 am and 6 am.

By locking down the neighbourhood at night, the mayors aim to improve safety. A few cafés and night shops are affected, but sex workers believe it’s primarily brothels on the Aarschotstraat that will be hit. There is a high level of drug dealing and use in the neighbourhood. Some businesses are also said to act as money-laundering fronts for the drug trade.

‘Decision will encourage illegal prostitution’

The Belgian Union for Sex Workers is critical of the mayors’ decision. "This plan has taken absolutely no account of the reality sex workers face in Brussels," says Utsopi’s policy officer Daan Bauwens. “We too emphasise that the security situation in the neighbourhood is dire, but we do not see how this decision is supposed to improve safety, either for people on the streets or for sex workers.”

According to Bauwens, sex workers will be forced to switch to illegal prostitution. “They will suddenly lose their jobs, and that will encourage more illegal prostitution, because sex workers will not stop working during the hours when the establishment is closed. That increases the risk of violence and exploitation.”

Utsopi is also unhappy that the mayors have drawn up the plan without involving the Union or the sex workers themselves in their decision. “We find that very regrettable. We could have offered solutions to improve the plan. This has not been thought through.”

Still to be approved by the city councils

A trial period is planned for the new security plan that will only come into full effect once it has been approved by the city councils. “We hope this will not be a temporary solution that is then made permanent!”

Bauwens also hopes that Brussels and its municipalities will follow the example of how sex work is managed in cities like Ghent and Antwerp. “Those cities prove that it is possible to integrate sex work safely into the city. It is incomprehensible that the Brussels-Capital Region is lagging so far behind in this respect.”

Source portal vrt.be

Sex work and housing advocate planning to run for mayor in Hamilton

Canada, Hamilton

March 17, 2026

Sex work advocate Scarlett Gillespie, also known as Jelena Vermilion, is running for mayor of Hamilton in the upcoming municipal elections.

Gillespie is a community activist, organizer and the Executive Director of the Sex Workers’ Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton.

SWAP Hamilton works with sex workers of all walks of life, including those who are BIPOC, experiencing homelessness, undocumented, part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and more.

"I am running for mayor because I believe Hamilton needs leadership that understands the realities people are facing on the ground and is committed to building solutions that work for everyone," she said in a statement.

Gillespie has used the name Jelena Vermilion for many years, which allowed her to "advocate safely in difficult and often hostile environments," she said.

She said as she steps forwards as a candidate, she’s choosing to use her legal name publicly. 

People can officially sign up to run in the October municipal election for mayor, councillor or school trustee on May 1. Nominations close Aug. 21.

Priorities includes tenant protections

Gillespie said her platform will focus on priorities that include housing, tenant protections, climate justice, transparency at city hall, community-led initiatives and strengthening the arts sector. 

"Hamilton is a sanctuary city built by working-class and disabled people, artists, im/migrants, and labourers,” she said. “Our city government should reflect the full lived reality."

Gillespie’s interest in housing issues partly comes from her own experience as a tenant. She has delegated several times to the board of directors with CityHousing Hamilton (CHH), which runs the apartment building in which she lives.

She told CBC her longtime advocacy for improvements to the building led to an eviction notice, which she is currently disputing at the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Gillespie said in an email to media that she has spent "many years working directly with people who often fall through the cracks of public systems," adding that her experience in advocacy and community work translate directly to the mayoral role.

Her candidacy is a "break from traditional political pathways" and her commitment to those underrepresented in decision-making, she said.

Source portal cbc.ca

After voting to unionize, Pahrump brothel workers push for increased safety measures following shooting

USA, Nevada st.

March 19, 2026

Last month, the majority of workers at Shari’s Ranch filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board, a historic first in the only state that permits legal sex work.

It’s been a turbulent year for the sex workers of the Pahrump-based legal brothel Sheri’s Ranch. 

On February 6, the majority of its 74 workers filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as the United Brothel Workers (UBW) affiliate of the Nevada-based Communications Workers of America Local 9413—a historic first in the only state that permits legal sex work. 

The movement began in December, when management asked workers to sign a revised contract giving the brothel sweeping control over workers’ content, image, and likeness, plus power of attorney to transfer their intellectual property without consent. After taking steps to unionize, seven of the most vocal union advocates were subsequently fired, according to UBW representative Scott Goodstein. 

“They have good records, high earnings and never had disciplinary issues. The only thing that has changed is that they’re now participating in union activities,” Goodstein says of the terminated workers. 

Their collective bargaining push also faces a major hurdle in the fact that Nevada’s sex workers have historically been classified as independent contractors and not employees. To be officially recognized by both the NLRB and Sheri’s Ranch, union members will have to convince the NLRB that their working conditions qualify them as employees under existing labor law. 

After filing a petition to unionize, the next step is typically to wait for the NLRB to administer an election in which Sheri’s Ranch workers would vote to make it official. Because it’s illegal to fire an employee for union involvement under the National Labor Relations Act, the union also filed a February 17 unfair labor practices complaint alleging that worker Molly Wylder was terminated for discussing the union with the media. The document also notably includes a request for a Gissel bargaining order, which, if granted, would allow the NLRB to legally bypass the election phase and directly order Sheri’s Ranch to recognize the UBW.

Amid all these moving pieces, another unexpected development brought safety concerns to the forefront. On February 28, Sheri’s Ranch workers were startled by the sound of a shotgun firing just outside. One worker, who spoke to the Weekly anonymously to protect her job, says it was only through “pure luck” that no one was harmed.

“A repeat client who had some known mental health issues came to the ranch, I think, having experienced some kind of mental breakdown,” she says. “A door that is typically unlocked was locked fast enough, and shots were taken at the building. It was very scary and traumatic. I think the staff was operating on instinct, because they had as little preparation as we did.” 

After a 71-year-old suspect was arrested by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office, the worker says they were expected to resume working immediately—“as if nothing had happened.” The next day, management called a staff meeting. 

In it, workers say they proposed metal detectors, bag checks and other measures that the anonymous worker says are common at bars and strip clubs. 

“No resources were offered to us, and no sympathy was offered for our experience,” she says. “People were questioning the safety procedure, and the reaction was, ‘well, it worked out yesterday, didn’t it?’” 

Source portal lasvegasweekly.com

Erotic dance studio gives Canberra’s sex workers a safe space to be themselves

Australia, Canberra

March 21, 2026

Professional sex worker Red has been in the industry for the past decade, and always wanted somewhere that sex workers could come together as themselves, learn industry-relevant skills and be respected.

“I noticed in the past few years there’s been a want for a sex work-safe environment within the pole industry,” she said.

“I wanted to create that space.”

So, she did.

Red District is an erotic dance and pole studio based on Wollongong Street in Fyshwick, designed to honour the true roots of pole dancing (ie, stripping) with respect “woven through everything we teach”.

“We welcome everybody and every background, workers or not, while educating our students and paying tribute to the women who built this industry,” the studio’s Instagram announced.

“Welcome to your new home for falling in love with movement, embracing the art of seduction, and expressing yourself with absolute freedom.”

Nine of the studio’s instructors work in the sex industry, and classes range from pole dancing to industry-specific skills such as stripping and lap dances.

Red said it was about being accessible and accepting of everyone.

“I want to remove the stigma around sex work, and celebrate it in our studio with classes aimed to benefit workers in the industry,” she said.

Red is using her studio to be the space she wished had existed a decade ago.

“Through the studio I have met some of the most beautiful, free-spirited people … they’ve also had to go through the hardship of dealing with people not accepting [their line of work],” she said.

“It’s been so good to give sex workers this space … people feel really free and at home in the studio.

“That’s what I set out to do, so that’s been really cool to watch.”

She plans to allow the Sex Worker Outreach Program (SWOP) ACT to use her studio to deliver educational seminars on the industry and health information.

But the business is not just designed for sex workers, with all Canberrans invited to try a class and see if it sparks an interest.

Red said people might be surprised about what they discover – both about the art and themselves.

Source portal region.com.au

Sex industry amendment defeated in Parliament, with opponents calling result a win for sex workers

Australia, Victoria st., Melbourne

March 30, 2026

A push to ban registered sex offenders from working in Victoria’s sex and stripping industries has been voted down in State Parliament, with opponents of the proposed change hailing the result as a win for sex workers and a sign MPs were wary of reopening decriminalisation laws without broader review.

Libertarian MP David Limbrick introduced the amendment on March 19, arguing it would close what he and supporters described as a serious loophole created after Victoria decriminalised sex work in 2022.

The proposed change was narrow in scope. It would not have altered the rights of the vast majority of sex workers but would instead have imposed a blanket ban on registered sex offenders working in either the sex industry or the stripping industry.

The amendment was defeated 21 votes to 16.

Backers of the change argued that while police technically have powers to seek prohibition orders preventing some offenders from working in certain industries, those powers were rarely used and were too cumbersome to operate as an effective safeguard. They said just 13 prohibition orders were approved across Victoria last financial year, representing only a tiny fraction of the state’s more than 11,000 registered sex offenders.

But MPs who opposed the amendment said the issue was more complex than its supporters suggested and warned against rushing in a change affecting employment rights in an industry that has only recently been decriminalised.

The Victorian Government has since confirmed that a statutory review of the Sex Work Decriminalisation Act will begin in late 2026, with issues of this nature to be considered as part of that broader process.

That means the debate is far from over.

For supporters of the amendment, the vote was a missed opportunity to address a glaring gap in the law immediately. For opponents, however, the defeat was seen as a defence of the decriminalised framework and a refusal to make piecemeal changes without fuller consultation.

The parliamentary clash has thrown a sharp spotlight back on a question that Victoria’s post-decriminalisation regime has not yet resolved: how to protect sex workers from known sexual offenders without undermining the rights and hard-won reforms of the wider industry. 

Source portal docklandsnews.com.au

“Justice for migrant sex workers in Melbourne” joint action

Australia, Victoria st., Melbourne

March 31, 2026

Sex workers are descending upon Melbourne’s Magistrates Court at 8.45 am on Tuesday, 31 March 2026, to call for justice for Yuko, a 62-year-old Asian migrant sex worker, who was raped and murdered in horrible circumstances, as she was legally working in a Footscray brothel. And those rallying before the court are calling for the case to go to trial, so that justice can be served.

Michael James Chalmers is accused of murdering and raping the woman, whose body was found after the 36-year-old left her in a room on Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung land in Footscray’s 149 Rainbow Garden brothel on 27 November 2024. Yuko is said to have died through some form of neck compression or smothering, however forensic pathologists can’t agree on what happened.

Next Tuesday marks the final day of committal hearings, which means Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano will then determine whether Chalmers’ matter will proceed to trial, where he will face serious criminal offences. The defence is arguing that the charges should be dropped as there is no DNA evidence linking Chalmers to the injuries, although CCTV footage places him at the scene.

Sex workers from Vixen’s Rising Red Lantern Project and Scarlet Alliance’s AMSWAG (Asian Migrant Sex Worker Advisory Group) have been assembling out the front of the court during all of the committal hearings relating to Chalmers, who has not entered a plea as yet. And their concern is that the case might be dismissed due to “insufficient evidence”.

Those mobilising before the courts next Tuesday understand that their presence is making a difference to whether this case may proceed, because there is a long history of downplaying assaults upon or even murders of sex workers, as their employment has long been criminalised and stigmatised to the point that the authorities have often dismissed such crimes as somehow lesser.

An attack on all sex workers

“This is not a debate about the length of the sentence. This is about truth-telling,” said AMSWAG spokesperson Damien Nguyen in a statement on Tuesday. “The past 18 months have seen an incredibly dehumanising debate inside the courts, with anti-sex work arguments and victim-blaming rhetoric made by all sides involved.”

“We will gather to demand an end to the conditions that led to Yuko’s passing in the first place. We dream of a future where survivors are no longer silenced, where migrants are no longer fearful of visa cancellation and deportations, where sex workers are no longer fearful of criminalisation and discrimination daily,” Nguyen continued.

Despite this country having some of the most progressive sex worker laws and protections on the planet, the stigmatisation and continuing criminalisation in some jurisdictions of sex work and sex workers leads to a casual callousness about how crimes against sex workers are considered and approached by law enforcement and to a lesser extent, the judiciary.

Numerous human rights bodies, including Amnesty International, advocate for the decriminalisation of sex work as best practice for sex workers. The state of New South Wales was the first jurisdiction anywhere in the world to decriminalise the industry in 1995. Victoria decriminalised sex wok in 2022, while the Northern Territory and Queensland have also decriminalised sex work.

The understanding is that whilst sex work decriminalisation has led to better legal and health outcomes for those who work in the profession, the stigma and the legacy of criminalisation still lead to unjust outcomes for sex workers, which includes the dismissal of crimes against them.

Source portal sydneycriminallawyers.com.au