The journalist training was on the 16th of July and I was very surprised at the level of professionalism and interest that the journalists showed. I can see a new generation of journalists emerging who are interested in challenging myths and commonly held beliefs about sex work and sex workers. The questions asked were intelligent, well thought out and on topic. This gives me hope that in the future, sex workers in the SWAN region will be able to have journalist trainings with journalists that demonstrate the same professionalism, intelligence and concern for their work.

The journalist training was on the 16th of July and I was very surprised at the level of professionalism and interest that the journalists showed. I can see a new generation of journalists emerging who are interested in challenging myths and commonly held beliefs about sex work and sex workers. The questions asked were intelligent, well thought out and on topic. This gives me hope that in the future, sex workers in the SWAN region will be able to have journalist trainings with journalists that demonstrate the same professionalism, intelligence and concern for their work. I even managed to exchange contact information with a couple of journalists who were interested in future collaboration on stories involving sex work in Hungary and in the region.

The sex workers meeting was on the 17th of July. It was wonderful to sit down with other professionals and communicate, although the time was much too short. It was impressive to see how much our movement has grown, how much we have accomplished and how dedicated we are. There was such a sense of solidarity and of dedication. It made me proud of my fellow sex workers. There is hope not only in Europe but all over the world that we will fight against injustice, discrimination and stigma and we will win!

The best thing about participating in Vienna was that it gave me strength. Sometimes, when we get stuck and loaded down with problems and issues, we don’t stop to celebrate the victories we have had and admire the progress we have made, no matter how small. These meetings showed me that we have many more victories ahead and that the progress we have made is anything but small. We have come so far, compared to where we were ten or 15 years ago. We will go so much farther in the next ten or 15 years.

Mariann from Budapest, Hungary