Your ESWA Monthly: Key Updates on Sex Workers' Rights | January 2025
Justice & Policy | Digital Rights | Health | Research | Community News & Opportunities
Dear Community,?
Happy 2025! May this year bring us all the energy, resources and support we need to thrive as individuals, and to advance as a movement. ? ESWA is starting the new season with exciting plans for the upcoming months, so stay tuned. But first, we would like to share a recap of our action packed December. Thank you for your ongoing support! ESWA Team
Justice & Policy
Sex Workers Demand Transformative Justice at the European Parliament!
Access to justice is a fundamental right. It ensures everyone is treated equally and can seek protection when falling victim to a crime. At least in theory. In reality, marginalised communities, including sex workers, not only cannot expect the police to help, but suffer further violence and harassment at their hands.?
How can we end the violence when those meant to protect us are the ones causing it?
Exposed From All Sides: The Role of Policing in Sex Workers' Access to Justice, a landmark participatory research study, sheds light on these systemic issues. Designed and conducted by sex workers, it includes over 200 interviews across 11 countries, making it the largest sex worker-led research ever conducted in Europe. The bone-chilling report makes it clear that this is not a matter of a few bad apples, but a rotten system.
To communicate the report's findings and demand action, ESWA organised a launch event in the European Parliament. The event featured speakers including MEP Estelle Ceulemans (S&D), Sabrina Sanchez (ESWA), Agata Dziuban (Researcher), ?MEP Catarina Martins (the Left), Sarah Chander (Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice). A delegation of sex workers who participated in the research was present as participants.?
We call on all sex workers, human rights defenders, and allies to read and share the report to raise awareness of this critical issue.
Support our fight for?Sex Workers' Rights! Donate now!
ESWA at EIGE Gender Equality Forum
In December, ESWA's Policy Officer attended the European Institute on Gender Equality - EIGE Gender Equality Forum and discussed the findings of ESWA's Policing report at the Forum. On this occasion, a CSO statement 'Our Collective Vision for Gender Equality in the EU' was launched, which ESWA participated in preparing and signing. The joint statement aims to advocate for what the upcoming Roadmap for Women's Rights and the Gender Equality Strategy post-2025 should aim to achieve.
ESWA Senior Policy Officer Irena speaks with the new Commissioner on Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib about the new ESWA Policing Report
UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons
On December 11, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its 8th Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. This report provides an overview of trafficking patterns and trends at global, regional, and national levels, encompassing 156 countries. A key focus is on the trends in detection and conviction rates over the years, revealing notable variations between and within regions. While the sexual exploitation of women and girls remains the most commonly detected form of trafficking globally, Europe has seen a shift, with labor exploitation cases now being more frequently detected for the first time. For a Global overview, see the Chapter 1 here.?
Colombia: Labor Violations, Sexual Exploitation in Webcam Studios
US & EU Platforms Should Take Urgent Steps to Prevent Abuse of Workers
The report published by Human Rights Watch on December 9, 2024 “‘I Learned How to Say No’: Labor Abuses & Sexual Exploitation in Colombian Webcam Studios,” exposes working conditions in webcam studios in Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, and Palmira, where models record content that is broadcasted by adult platforms and streamed around the world. Webcamming is a global industry in which studies estimate that platforms keep between 50 and 65 percent of what viewers pay. People interviewed said that studios retain as much as 70 percent of what is paid out by the platform, reducing the pay of workers. Adult webcam platforms based in the United States and Europe should immediately address labor abuses and sexual exploitation in Colombian webcam studios.
Digital Rights
Recap of Digital Rights - Digital Divides at AWID 2024?
From 2 to 5 December, ESWA participated in the AWID 2024 Forum in Bangkok, co-organising a panel with Weaving Liberation and SWAN. Titled 'Digital Rights—Digital Divides,' the session explored the impact of digital technologies on sex work, focusing on autonomy, community building, stigma, security, and the digital divide.?
Weaving Liberation has published a blog post discussing the session and referencing ESWA's report on policing. We’re thankful for their support in raising awareness and encourage you to read the blog post:
Community News & Opportunities
If you have any interesting updates from your country or community, contact [email protected] and we will spread the word in our next newsletter!
Call for Proposals: The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons
The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons we would like to share with you this new Global Call for Proposals:
The new Global Call for Proposals (CfP) under Sub-Grant Programme (SGP) 1 of the 9th cycle of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (UNVTF), managed by UNODC.
This CfP invites applications from NGOs worldwide providing direct assistance to victims of human trafficking: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking-fund/unvtf-funding.html
Projects should have a duration of 9 months, with a maximum grant allocation of USD 20,000.
The deadline for applications is Friday, 31 January 2025, 23:59 CEST.
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Detailed information is available on the UNVTF website, and updates will be shared through social media channels.
Please contact [email protected] should you have any questions
GATE Trans and Gender Diverse Consultant Roster
Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) is currently building an internal database of skilled trans and gender diverse consultants across a wide array of fields. The aim is to connect trans and gender diverse individuals with potential recruitment opportunities when they arise, hence supporting the professional presence and contributions of our community in a wide range of fields.
How it works:?
GATE is building a roster of eligible consultants who could be matched, upon your approval, with potential recruiters that best fit your experience. Your data will be kept safe (on GATE's secured Google Drive) and will only be shared via email when opportunities that fit your profile arise. You can check GATE's Privacy Policy for further insight into the use of protected data.?
If you are willing to be listed in the roster, then we kindly invite you to fill in the below survey form. The form collects the following information:
- Consent for us to store and share your information.?
- Personal and contact information.
- Demographic information to help us best represent the diversity within our roster.?
- Areas of expertise and relevant professional skills and interests.
- Languages you are proficient in and able to work with.
- External resources (optional) of past projects or work that showcase your successful contributions.?
- CV/Resume to provide a fuller picture of your background.
If you have further questions, contact [email protected]?
The FutureLab Programme by ILGA Europe
The FutureLab is a transformative programme aimed at fostering social acceptance and inclusion for LGBTI people and at building knowledge and skills in our movement to be strategic and impactful in this work.
The FutureLab will fund 16 organisations in Central Europe and 6 organisations in the Western Balkans that:
- Advance meaningful and lasting social acceptance and inclusion for LGBTI people;
- Focus on a specific aspect of acceptance and inclusion that addresses critical needs and opportunities within their national context;
- Propose concrete and well-defined initiatives aimed at achieving tangible and measurable change;
- Build on the organisation’s past and current work, leveraging existing expertise, relationships, and insights.
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Digital Forensics Fellowship with Amnesty International
Amnesty Tech – a global collective of advocates, hackers, researchers, and technologists – is launching of the third Digital Forensics Fellowship (DFF). ?
This innovative Fellowship is an opportunity for 5 – 7 human rights defenders (HRDs), journalists, and/or technologists working in civil society organisations around the world to train with Amnesty Tech's Security Lab to build skills and knowledge on advanced digital threats and forensic investigation techniques. This is a part-time Fellowship that will last 3-4 months and will come with a stipend. ?
Application Deadline: 23 January 2025, 23.59 pm UK time
Programme: Amnesty Tech
Location: Flexible
Salary: A stipend of ￡500 per month totalling ￡2,000 for the duration of the Fellowship.
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IGLYO Consultancy Call: Access to Gender Affirming Care for Trans Youth
Trans youth encounter great barriers, such as restrictive laws that limit or prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, healthcare providers taking adult-centric approaches, discrimination, lack of knowledge, and inadequate support from family and social networks. To begin to create change IGLYO - The International Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Intersex Youth and Student Organisation - ?are looking for a consultant who can conduct qualitative research to explore the experiences of trans youth in accessing this essential care.
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Recommendations
Hand picked books, videos, articles and podcasts, recommended by ESWA staff and members. Tell us your recommendations to be featured in the next newsletter!
Absolute Beginners?
A poetic yet down to earth take on queerness, neurodivergence, polyamory and class differences, set at the Polish seaside. Well written and beautifully shot!
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