On 2 July the October District Court has ruled that the decision of the Russian Ministry of Justice’s to deny registration for Russia’s national organization of sex workers, Silver Rose, is valid. This is the last instance for appealing against lower court decisions in the Russian Federation.
On 2 July the October District Court has ruled that the decision of the Russian Ministry of Justice’s to deny registration for Russia’s national organization of sex workers, Silver Rose, is valid. This is the last instance for appealing against lower court decisions in the Russian Federation.
Silver Rose is now getting ready to submit an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg regarding the Russian court decisions. The organization’s lawyers will claim that these decisions are in violation of Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights about freedom of association.
On 28 March 2014 Russia’s national organization of sex workers, Silver Rose, has re-submitted a package of required documents for registration with the Russian Ministry of Justice as a non-governmental organization working on protecting human rights and interests of sex workers in Russia. The new package contains amendments to foundational documents that were required by several courts, which identified technical inconsistencies in the group’s previous formal request.
This action sees continuation of Silver Rose’s yearlong struggle for state acknowledgement of sex workers’ rights. It started in May 2013, when the organization attempted to register with the Russian Ministry of Justice for the first time. The Ministry then denied Silver Rose registration, declaring that “there is no such profession as sex work” in the Russian official registry of professions. The Ministry also accused Silver Rose of violating Article 29 of the Russian Constitution, which prohibits “campaigning and propaganda inciting social, racial, national and/or religious hatred and enmity”.
In July 2013 Silver Rose appealed to the St.Petersburg district court on grounds of violation of civil rights and freedoms of the organization’s leadership. Specifically, the organization asserted that by attempting registration Silver Rose’s leader Irina Maslova was exercising her constitutional right to freedom of association, and that denying registration was a clear violation of her rights. However, the district Judge upheld the Ministry’s decision, as did the city court Judge.
Sex work in Russia is criminalized, which makes sex workers vulnerable to stigma, discrimination and violence on various levels. State-supported discrimination include on the part of healthcare institutions – requirement for compulsory HIV testing, disclosure of personal health-related information, refusal to provide healthcare treatment or on the contrary – compulsory treatment; on the part of police – physical violence, threats, sexual violence, arbitrary arrests, blackmail and extrotion, denial of right to justice. There is also a widespread stigma and discrimination towards sex workers among the general population encouraged by the Russian Orthodox Church, which portrays sex workers as sinners, home wreckers, unworthy of raising children.
Information about the organization
Silver Rose is an organisation of sex workers that was established in 2006 from a peer support group in Saint Petersbrug. Since then Silver Rose has developed into a nationwide organization with representation across more than ten different regions of Russia. Silver Rose works for safety, civil rights and the right to self-determination for sex workers through education and advocacy and promotes the vision of sex work as work. More information about the group is available on the group’s website: www.silver-rose.org.