Street sex workers in Serbia are predominantly from the Roma community and are therefore discriminated against on multiple levels. JAZAS outreach team has over the years learned how to appropriately render services to this highly vulnerable group in Belgrade, capital of Serbia.

However, sex work is not limited to Belgrade: it exists in smaller towns as well. In a patriarchal and conservative society like Serbian, sex workers in smaller towns are more likely, especially in Roma communities, to be stigmatized by their own communities as well as by the wider society around them, making outreach work more needed there then in the capital.

EUREKA, a Roma non-governmental organization working in Sombor and Subotica, has requested assistance from JAZAS in preparing and training teams in those two towns for outreach activities with sex workers.

A five-day seminar is prepared for end September, in which members of the JAZAS outreach team as well as the mobile medical unit will share their extensive experience with members of Eureka, and will assist in preliminary mapping of hot- spots in those two towns.

In addition to the practical aspect of outreach activities, JAZAS will assist in creating a network of stakeholders and a network of support and co-operation with other organizations in that area. After the five-day training, JAZAS will continue to assist EUREKA in skills-development.

On the other hand, working with Eureka and in a different environment, will inevitably help the JAZAS team expand its cultural competency and skills.

For more info: Stasa Plecas, JAZAS, email: ecjazas@gmail.com
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