Joint statement from SWAN and ICRSE on World AIDS Day
On the occasion of World AIDS Day 2019, Sex Workers Rights Advocacy Network (SWAN) and International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE) commemorate those who have died from AIDS related illnesses and take this opportunity to join the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), UNAIDS, READ MORE
SWAN participation at Beijing 25
The Beijing Declaration (or “platform”) is a key outcome document developed and adopted by the IV World Conference on Women in Beijing from September 4-15, 1995, in which official delegations from 189 countries participated.
SWAN held a regional convening on movement building and community mobilisation.
Participants from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia and Georgia, countries that implement the Sex Worker Implementation Tool (SWIT), gathered in Budapest.
First day discussions focused on the 3-year progress of the RCF program, its goals and objectives. Each country made presentations regarding overviews of their 2016-2019 activities, challenges/achievements and gave information on the next steps of their programme.
SWAN publishes its Annual Report for 2018
After its introduction by the Global Network of Sex Work Projects, the Sex Worker Pride day becomes the fourth annual key date of the sex workers rights movement. Globally sex workers face many challenges in day to day life. We are being marginalised, stigmatised and stripped from our rights. Our voices are often ignored but we never stop pursuing the rights we desperately need.
SWAN Organises a Study Visit Between Ukraine and Moldova
SWAN Facilitated a Study Visit Between Bulgaria and North Macedonia
Since Global Fund left Bulgaria few years ago, majority of services for sex workers were shut down, and the one existing in HESED was struggling to keep the bare minimum on voluntary basis. This challenging environment for services and the lack of adequate support also affects the level of community mobilisation and participation. So, to date, there is no organised sex worker-led group in the country.
New Resource from SWAN on ‘Sex Work Legal Frameworks in CEECA’
To mark the day, SWAN publishes its new briefing paper on Sex Work Legal Frameworks in Central-Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA).
SWAN Organises a Regional Convening with Members in Georgia
In the first day, the participants discussed the last year’s Global Fund activities and shared their experiences around the challenges they faced as well as the strategies they used to overcome any issues. Second day of the meeting was dedicated to the process of country transitioning and sustainability of rights-based community-led sex work programming, level of inclusion of sex workers in countries transition planning and processes.
SWAN Joins European Testing Week
SWAN supports the second Spring European Testing Week which will take place 17-24 May 2019. European Testing Week is a European campaign that encourages partner organisations—in community, health care and policy institutions– throughout Europe to unite for one week (during Spring and Autumn) to increase testing efforts and promote awareness on the benefits of earlier hepatitis and HIV testing. This initiative has progressed since its start in 2013 and has grown to be a widely
recognised European event with hundreds of organisations participating every year.
SWAN Publishes a New Resource on Meaningful Involvement of Sex Workers and Their Organisations
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The SWIT tool offers practical guidance on effective HIV and STI programming for sex workers and was developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), The World Bank, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The NSWP meeting resulted in a checklist and a briefing note for organisations to self-assess whether they meaningfully involve sex workers, and for sex worker-led organisations to assess whether they are meaningfully involved.