Why do we campaign?
For the last three years we have run a campaign to raise awareness about and work towards ultimately ending violence against sex workers. Sex workers face prejudice and stigma every day and are often subjected to both verbal and physical abuse. We believe that all women deserve the right to be safe and to make their own choices. We therefore campaign for sex worker’s rights, specifically focused on decriminalisation, whilst also challenging some of the damaging stereotypes associated with sex work which we believe ultimately leads to violence.
Background to the 17th of December:
The 17th of December marks International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers and we base our campaign around this day, with events leading up to it. Everyday in Leeds alone we witness or hear about some of the horrific violence women working in the sex industry endure. Sadly however this is not isolated to our city alone but occurs all over the world. International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was originally developed by Dr Annie Sprinkle and the founder of the Sex Workers Outreach Project Robyn Few in the USA to make people aware of the “epidemic of violence” sex workers face. It began as a memorial for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle Washington who murdered at least 71 women between 1982-1998, most of whom were sex workers. Since then it has grown to unite sex worker rights organisations and charities around the word to raise awareness and money for those victims of violence with the aim being to address stigma and discrimination which can so often lead to violence.
To see what we have done in previous years follow the links below: