End violence against sex workers

16 Days of Activism is a global campaign mobilising individuals and organisations around ending gender-based violence. What does ’16 Days of Activism’ mean for us here at Aidsfonds? Continue reading to learn and see what you can do to join the global movement to #EndSexWorkViolence.

Violence is one of the structural drivers that increases the risk of HIV infection among sex workers. It leads to inconsistent condom use, increased risk of infection, and prevents sex workers from accessing legal support and health care services. Large-scale research shows that if violence against sex workers is tackled, we can prevent up to 25% of new HIV infections.

Aidsfonds stands strong against violence in all forms, and supports partners and sex workers in increasing awareness, implementing advocacy campaigns and sharing knowledge. From November 25th to December 10th Aidsfonds will raise attention by sharing life stories and achieved changes with our Hands Off programme, which focusses on the reduction of violence against sex workers. 

Approaches that work 

Female, male and transgender sex workers face high levels of violence, stigma, discrimination and other human rights violations. Aidsfonds strengthens sex worker-led networks in becoming a movement of sex workers with strong rights awareness. Together with partners, we set up rapid emergency response systems with peer educators and paralegals in the Hands Off countries, supporting survivors of violence and litigating human rights. We build relationships with police at community and national level, turning them from perpetrators of violence into allies in the HIV response. Aidsfonds is proud that violence has decreased at all sites where Hands Off was implemented, and that sex worker-led organisations achieved these results themselves!

Driving up impact

Sex workers report a reduction of violence where the sex worker movement has been strengthened, emergency systems have been set up, and the police has been engaged. A total of 1.523 cases of violence against sex workers were documented. This evidence was used in 163 lobby and advocacy initiatives rolled out by partners. In all Hands Off countries, several community-led crisis response systems have been set up. In South Africa, more than 153.000 police officers will be trained on the needs of sex workers
 

Stepping up the fight

The success of the Hands Off has shown that it is right to focus on structural drivers of HIV infection when working with sex workers. What we want to happen is that violence against sex workers at community, national and regional level is reduced. We will need to work towards a strong sex worker movement demanding its rights, and further increase access to health care services and support structures for sex workers. Together with partners, Aidsfonds will increasingly collaborate with community leaders and media, and influence decision-makers to create a more enabling environment for sex work. We demand that sex workers are protected and served by law enforcement. Lastly, we will roll out our successful approach to other countries.

Join the movement

Together, we can end the silence around gender-based violence against sex workers by listening to their stories and hearing what is often left unspoken. We need to give sex workers a platform to share their experiences, raising awareness for this issue. This movement mobilises organisations around ending violence against sex workers to give it the attention it urgently needs. Join the movement now #EndSexWorkViolence

Published on Aidsfonds.org