SWAN team visits Right Side NGO in Yerevan, Armenia

This December, SWAN team members Marija Tosheva and Trajche Janushev paid a visit to our member organization Right Side NGO at their community center in Yerevan, Armenia. 

During 4 days of meetings, SWAN’s team, together with members of Right Side, discussed the set-up of a human rights documentation project in the country, focussed on recording cases of violations of social protection rights, such as rights to social care, unemployment benefits, housing support and healthcare, as well as sexual and reproductive health rights for sex workers in Armenia. The group also discussed different advocacy approaches and partnership initiatives on both local and national levels. Later, the two organizations met with representatives from other NGOs and activists operating in Yerevan, including Pink Armenia, DiverCity NGO and The Global Trans Initiative, in order to explore intersectional interests and opportunities, including the overlapping concerns of LGBTQ people and sex workers in Armenia.

We extend our greatest thanks to the many inspiring young activists and community leaders who attended this training ready to participate in the sex workers rights movement and build strategies based on intersectionality and solidarity. We also thank the Robert Carr Fund who funded this meeting and provided technical support through our Social Protection Program (2022-2024), as part of the Sex Worker Networks Consortium.