Nuestra recopilación de información se extendió por algunas semanas, porque las Naciones Unidas actualizaron sus plazos. 160 personas y organizaciones completaron la encuesta. Esta es una de las muchas formas en que podemos aprender sobre los desafíos y los éxitos que hemos experimentado colectivamente en los últimos cinco años. Mientras escribimos esto, nuestros corazones están con toda nuestra comunidad afectada por los incendios en California y con todas las demás crisis diarias que enfrentan nuestras comunidades en los Estados Unidos, incluidas la vigilancia policial, los arrestos y la injusticia ambiental y económica.
¿Cómo puedes comunicarte con nosotros? Completa el formulario de expresión de interés para obtener un enlace de la encuesta o envíanos un correo electrónico directamente a bestpracticespolicyproject [at] gmail.com y rightsnotrescue@protonmail.com antes del 17 de enero de 2025.
¿Qué estamos aprendiendo hasta ahora? Beyonce Karungi está coordinando el desarrollo de nuestro informe preliminar y trabajando con un equipo de miembros de la comunidad de nuestra Coalición para recopilar la información que estamos recibiendo. Beyonce ha proporcionado los siguientes temas generales hasta el momento.
Criminalización (la causa principal de las violaciones de derechos)
La policia (incluido el desfinanciamiento de la policía)
Inmigración
Derechos trans, incluida la intersección de cuestiones de trabajo sexual y leyes antitrans
Los derechos de las trabajadoras sexuales callejeras
Cuestiones de VIH/SIDA y migración
Injusticia económica (incluida la exclusión de plataformas y la pérdida de acceso)
Los efectos del cambio climático en nuestro trabajo y nuestras vidas
COVID-19
Violencia
Los derechos de los usuarios de sustancias
El impacto global de las políticas estadounidenses
Our information collection was extended for a few weeks, because the United Nations updated their deadlines. 160 folks and organizations have filled out the survey. This is one of many ways we can learn about the challenges and successes we have collectively experienced in the past five years. As we write this our hearts go out to all of our community being impacted by the fires in California, and to all the other daily crises our communities face across the United States including policing, arrest, and environmental and economic injustice.
What are we learning so far? Beyonce Karungi is coordinating the development of our draft report and working with a team of community members from our Coalition to collate the information we are receiving. Beyonce has provided the following general themes so far.
Criminalization (the root cause of rights violations)
Policing (including defunding police)
Immigration
Trans rights including intersection of sex work issues anti-trans laws
The rights of street sex workers
HIV/AIDS issues and migration
Economic injustice (including de-platforming and loss of access)
We are calling on folks to join us in letting the world know about our rights and resistance in United States, and to help us hold the United States accountable for impacting sex workers and trans people worldwide. We will be collecting information from sex workers and organizations in the coming weeks. If you would like to participate in the process by being interviewed, filling out a survey, creating art or joining a working group please fill out this short form – https://form.jotform.com/rightsnotrescue/join-us
What is the UPR? The United Nations (UN) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a session to hold member countries responsible for their human rights records. The United States is being reviewed in 2025 for the first time in five years. By 1 March 2025 we will write a report on the human rights abuses sex workers face and sex workers will then travel to Geneva, Switzerland to speak to member countries about the criminalization of our communities.
The US is obligated to uphold everyone’s human rights, including the
rights to housing, education and healthcare; the right to be free from
arbitrary arrest, due process violations, and invasions of privacy; the
right to be free from torture and inhumane treatment; the rights of
migrants; as well as rights related to the US obligation to eliminate
racial discrimination.
It is well known that the US violates these rights on a routine basis when it comes to sex workers, or people profiled by the police, social workers and service providers as sex workers. The UPR provides a space for the world to hear about how the US has violated human rights over the past four years. Due to the current policy approaches in the US, we plan to include in our report information about the experiences of migrants, trans folks, people in street economies and document the economic impacts of US policies worldwide, but having said that we want to hear from every one and about every issue.
Read about our past actions and Recommendation 86 at http://www.bestpracticespolicy.org/tag/upr/
If you know of anyone who would like to participate pls share this post and information using our fliers.
June 25th, 2024 · bppp · Art, CampaignsComments Off on Sex Workers’ Human Rights Matter
This past week Erika Smith and N’Jaila Rhee traveled to Geneva to attend the 56th Session of the Human Rights Council. They were there to be part of organizing to affirm the rights of sex workers and trans people, in the wake of some pushback in the United Nations system against the progress made by our communities. This is the first time that BPPP has been able to use our UN Consultative Status to enter the United Nations in Geneva. Erika took photos and videos to tell the story of the journey.
Monday June 17, 2024
After a smooth flight out of Newark airport, Erika and N’Jaila arrive in Geneva.
Tuesday June 18, 2024
Erika documented the first meeting of the trip, a meeting with representatives of the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI). SRI supported BPPP and Desiree Alliance at a crucial phase way back when, encouraging us to get involved in the first Universal Periodic Review of the United States in 2010. This led to Recommendation 86, the first and only (to date) recommendation to the United States on sex work. Read a guide this current UN session HRC 56 produced by SRI and the importance of affirming sex workers’ rights at the UN at this time.
Wednesday June 19, 2024
Meeting with sex worker and allies delegation. Erika and N’Jaila were invited as part of the delegation to a full day session organized by the Network of Sex Work Projects to plan for engagement with the UN Session.
Thursday June 20, 2024
30 community members came out to make art, including poster making for a planned public action, at an art zone and bar in Geneva. N’Jaila and Erika came up with this slogan, Sex Workers’ Human Rights Matter, starting out with Erika’s idea of “sex worker rights matter” combining with N’Jaila’s thought about about human rights. This art work was created by N’Jaila and documented by Erika.
Friday June 21, 2024
On Thursday and Friday Erika and N’Jaila were able to enter the United Nations but given the current questioning of sex worker rights and trans rights, the experience was mixed. Mixed with “rage, anger, disgust” Erika noted when reflecting on the photos she had taken on this day. People walked out of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women’s speech. Why? “The Special Rapporteur pushed for approaches that criminalize the lives of sex workers.” “It was hot inside the UN,” Erika continued. “We are in this important place, standing up for ourselves. Yet regardless of what we say, some delegates have already have their mind made up. And those that are in support of us, their statements are muted.”
Erika and N’Jaila joined a protest was across the street from the UN. At the broken chair.
African activists started chanting. The microphone was passed to the Latinas. Crowd participation. Delegates began leaving out of the United Nations at the end of the day, heading for the train station opposite the protest. Many left with a police escort, but they had nothing to fear. We held up signs with our rights messages.
Monday June 24, 2024
Erika and N’Jaila left Geneva on Sunday. The following day numerous speeches were made in defense of sex worker rights during the HRC session. Video response in defense of sex workers can be viewed at this link: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1o/k1onom08en
Erika had one word to describe how the sex worker delegation operated. “Inclusion.” Erika and N’jaila were also honored to spend time with Sinnamon Love of BIPOC-AIC, building community among Black sex workers and being together.
