May 4, 2009, Vilnius --- the analytical TV show „Balsas.lt“ which is broadcasted through TV3, one of the most popular commercial television channels in Lithuania, featured the sex work situation in Lithuania. Sex workers, police officers and MPs were interviewed.

May 15-16, 2009 – Sex workers participated in a seminar on empowerment and strategies to increase efficiency of HIV prevention among sex workers of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan organized by Tais Plus, SWAN representative in Kyrgyzstan. But this was not the only goal of the meeting. Participants used the opportunity to discuss ways of uniting and creating a nationwide network of sex workers after having voted unanimously for the necessity to have such a network in Kyrgyzstan.

May 26-27, 2009, Kiev – Sex workers initiative group "League LEGALIFE” got together with the support of UHRA, SWAN representative in Ukraine, and International AIDS/HIV Alliance in Ukraine. Representatives of five major regions of Ukraine met in Kiev to discuss the perspectives of the League, its further development, strategic plans and potential problems. More…

Since the beginning of 2009, the drop-in center for sex workers, which is run by JAZAS, SWAN member from Serbia, has successfully introduced new activities.

Recently JAZAS’ self-support group facilitators and 6 sex workers went to the theater in April to watch the play “Suma blista” (Wondrous forest) which touches upon issues of trafficking and prostitution. The daughter of one of the facilitators acts in the play, and they thought it would be a great idea to arrange for sex workers to come and see the play.

May 20-24, 2009, Skopje – 13 sex workers from 3 cities met for a peer-assist training organized by H.E.R.A. and HOPS, SWAN member in Macedonia, and supported by UNFPA-Macedonia.

HOPS, which works to protect and promote the rights of sex workers, started partnership with WITNES (www.witness.org), human rights organization (based in New York but working globally), who uses and promotes video activism as an effective and supportive tool for promotion of rights of different groups within ongoing human rights campaigns. Concrete partnership between HOPS and WITNESS includes support in developing video advocacy plan about integrating video in this year’s 17th December campaign.

This reportage, called „Profession male prostitute” shows the work of male sex workers in a town called Veliko Turnovo, and was broadcasted on one of the most popular national TV in Bulgaria - TV NOVA. You can see this reportage in Bulgarian here.

„More than 90% of people who are working on the streets are women, according to our latest survey” – said Lubica Tornoczyova, the team member of Odyseus in an interview which she gave to the most read weekly paper in Slovakia. The article introduces the activity of the Odyseus and SWAN, and emphasize that prostitution is definitelly not a dream job for anyone; people usually choose it as a „less evil” solution, instead of stealing or giving children away to childcare.

In February 2009 SWAN coordinator, Aliya Rakhmetova, took part in an Information Activism Camp in Bangalore, India. Read her short report on the event:

The camp brought together 150 activists and IT specialists from different countries, backgrounds and ages. Women rights advocates, advocates for political rights and freedoms, sex worker activists, environment protection advocates, HIV+ community, video activists, bloggers, journalists and representatives of many other spheres believed that successful ideas can cross borders and be utilized in various contexts and that information technology can do miracles in faster organizing and implementing your campaigns and mobilizing a wider support, local and international. It was amazing and inspiring to learn how many great ideas people generate and how much success depends on the way you package and distribute your message and information!