After the 2007 conference a group of sex worker representatives re-convened to work towards increasing the visibility of sex worker issues at the next conference to be held in Barcelona in 2008. The group adopted a name and logo on March 1, 2008 and communicated via conference calls (donated by OSI SHARP) and a list-serve (supported by BPPP).

Preparation for the Conference

• We circulated a flier announcing the closing date (November 14, 2007) for abstract submission and organized to provide mentoring/support in abstract development
• Caucus members assisted 8 people to develop abstracts (from Africa, the US, Russia and Kyrgyzstan). Many more abstracts were submitted by sex worker groups and we collected all submissions into a list to facilitate our ongoing support of these presentations
• We reviewed sex work focused abstracts for IHRA
• We organized two sex worker focused panels: a concurrent panel entitled "Sex Work: The Impact and Harms of Criminalization and how to Reduce them"; and a living room session entitled "Reducing Harms in Sex Work: Practical Presentations from Peer-led Programs"
• We worked with the SWAN network to locate 2 sex worker representatives from Eastern Europe to present in our sessions. From a short-list of four possibilities, the Caucus chose two (a representative of Club Silver Rose in Russia and from Tais Plus, Kyrgyzstan)
• We fundraised approximately $6,400 USD/4000 euro from sources such as Mama Cash in the Netherlands, sex worker led events and individual donations
• We received a grant of $18,000 from SHARP and nominated a group (the Desiree Alliance) to disburse and account for scholarship funds
• IHRA assisted us in the search for funds and support was found for a representative from HESED in Bulgaria and for a representative of Tais Plus, Kyrgyzstan
• We organized our inaugural Sex Work and Harm Reduction film festival with the assistance of the San Francisco Sex Worker Film and Art Festival
• We updated our conference statement/declaration on sex worker rights. IHRA signed on and publicized it on the official conference website. The statement was translated into Spanish and Russian.

Activities during the International Harm Reduction Conference

• 10 sex worker advocates representing Bulgaria, Russia, Australia, US, and Sweden were able to attend
• We networked with Barcelona-based groups, such as LICIT, Genera and Ambit, during the conference with the assistance of the ICRSE and Pye of Sweden. We met with autonomous sex worker led groups in Barcelona and we were able bring one representative to our Living Room session
• Our booth was awesome, strategically placed and was visible from the registration desk
• We distributed literature from the following organizations: Saint James Infirmary (US); Club Silver Rose (Russia); Correlation (the Netherlands); Scarlet Alliance (Australia); the Rose Alliance (Sweden); Different Avenues (US); SWOP-Chicago; and SWOP-USA
• The online film festival website was accessed 2232 times during the conference period
• The concurrent panel and living room session were well-attended. The living room session was filled to capacity and then people had to sit on the floor…
• We videoed our sessions and a local documentary film making working the autonomous sex worker organization in Barcelona also filmed for use in their project
• Our booth and caucus was highlighted in the Conference Daily Update Wednesday May 14, 2008 (see below as attachment)
• Two Caucus representatives were interviewed in Spanish for a sex worker run radio program, Las Magdalenas, on Radio Contrabanda. A copy of the interview will be sent to us so we can place it online so that others can hear it.

Ongoing actions with IHRA
A meeting with an IHRA representative occurred during the conference to discuss our involvement for 2009. The next conference will be held in Thailand. IHRA is available to work with caucus representatives in July 2008 to assist us in applying to have a plenary speaker, a main panel and other events. Please contact psaunders at bestpracticespolicy to find out how you can join the International Sex Worker Harm Reduction Caucus and assist with actions in 2009. There are mentoring and networking opportunities for sex workers groups who participate in the sex worker caucus. This improves our communities' ability to participate within international institutions such as IHRA, and have improved input into policy development through showcasing our good work at the conference.