Sex workers' rights

The debate over sex work is often characterized as an issue of women's rights, especially by those who argue that prostitution is inherently oppressive and seek to criminalize it or keep it illegal, but in fact, there are also many male and non-binary individuals engaged in providing sexual services.

She argues that radical feminists probably generalize too widely as far as women are concerned, and do not take into consideration more complicated circumstances such as sadomasochism and prostitution.

[21] At the height of the movement, particularly following the Stonewall Riots, sex-positive feminists collared with other organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front in hopes of achieving a revolution.

[25] Furthermore, liberal feminists such as Ronald Weitzer and Gayle Rubin argue that the definition of sex work as inherently violent has created a "moral panic" that influences political discourse.

[25] Opponents of the sex workers' rights movement, such as Melissa Farley and Janice Raymond, argue that prostitution should be abolished because legalization can increase incidences of human trafficking.

Most activists campaigning for the formation of policies that protect sex workers from violence fall into two main categories: abolitionism or criminalization, and legalization or decriminalization.

Therefore, the only way to effectively prevent violence is to acknowledge this and for government to build policies and laws that deal with the issue through regulation of the business.

In both Canada and the UK, dancers in strip clubs are independent contractors who are unable to rectify because of their inability to challenge employers through organized action.

[40] In the Canadian city of Toronto, workers must be in possession of an adult entertainer license that is only provided following a criminal record check and the submission of a form.

[42] A survey undertaken by the Toronto city council in 2012 was to inform reconsideration of the regulations around licensing for strip club-based sex workers.

The most significant aspect was a reappraisal of the "no touching" rule so that it specified areas of the body to prevent people from being fined in the event of acceptable casual physical contact.

[44] Other studies have shown that hookup apps can be beneficial in providing safety, as they reduce the risk of solicitation on the street and allow for sex workers to have more control over who has access to knowledge of their services.

[45] The Association of Women Prostitutes of Argentina (AMMAR) was started by Elena Reynaga, who now heads the South American sex workers' network RedTraSex.

[46] RedTraSex, established in 1997, is a transnational coalition composed of various sex worker organizations across 15 Latin American countries and the Caribbean, including members from AMMAR.

[48] The Association of Prostitute Women of Paraguay (UNES) whose executive secretary Lucy Esquivel has been part of the South American network of sex workers RedTraSex.

[28] Furthermore, Raymond states that businesses in the sex industry are able to offer services to any man, which has led to more gender inequality because women have to accept that prostitution is a new norm.

The Pacifica Alliance to Stop Slavery and other advocates explained that the fear of retribution is the main deterrent for sex workers who seek to report offending officers.

[58] Barbara Brents and Kathryn Hausbeck state in their study that the legalization of prostitution in Nevada's brothels allows for improved regulation and protection for both businesses and workers.

[59] Brents and Hausbeck's case study of Nevada's brothels entailed examples of how they believe protection mechanisms were designed to account for the entire process of each individual job—that is the time that a sex worker is with a customer.

It concluded by explaining how disease prevention campaigns often target direct sex workers and neglect the women who are also at risk of contracting STIs.

[71] New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said that such sex workers "are often emotionally and economically dependent upon their abusers, and remain silent as their worlds grow smaller and more dangerous".

[75] The two main impacts to safety were the inability to physically distance and the exclusion of government economic support because of their lack of perceived income on paper.

[80] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court of India passed instructions to all state governments to provide dry rations to sex workers.

Sex workers also held a street demonstration, the Red Umbrellas March, in Venice to protest inhumane work conditions and human rights abuses.

[82] For International Women's Day in March 2014, sex worker organizations and activists throughout the world used the red umbrella in activities of celebration and protest.

For example, flash mob events in which the red umbrella was used were held in Sydney, Australia; London, UK; Bochum, Germany; Thailand; the Netherlands; and Peru.

The organization has received financial support from bodies such as the Open Society Foundations[92] and states that it "conducts a mix of pro-active and re-active policy advocacy".

[106][107] The country has been credited with better sex worker occupational health and safety, high condom use, and the lowest STI and HIV rates around the world.

In 2013, the organization had influenced policy in certain countries and has interacted with the presidents Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil.

[126] This day began June 2, 1975, in Lyon, France, when a group of sex workers met in a church to express their anger about exploitative living conditions and the criminalization they face because of their work.