Reports

Statement to the Commission on the Status of Women 2023

In October 2023 BPPP submitted our first official statement using our United Nations’ consultative status. This statement was completed with the Sex Worker Coalition, a formal group of global multi-organizational sex worker rights groups, that includes Desiree Alliance, the Outlaw Project, New Jersey Red Umbrella Alliance, BPPP and The Black Sex Worker Collective.

Response to the Universal Periodic Review 2021

This 2021 report comes post-Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States by the United Nations. Now that recommendations have been made by member states (UN member countries) regarding the human rights record(s) of the U.S. and current administration responses, what’s next? This report is in conjunction with a coalition of U.S. sex workers organizations: The Desiree Alliance, the Outlaw Project, Black Sex Worker Collective, New Jersey Red Umbrella Alliance, and the Best Practices Policy Project.

Report the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights 2019

In October 2019, BPPP along with Desiree Alliance, the Black Sex Worker Collective, the Outlaw Project, and NJRUA a submitted a new report about human rights violations in the United States against sex workers, people in sex trades, and those profiled as such to the UN as part of the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States’ human rights record. Due to the current policy approaches in the US, the report shares about the experiences of migrants, trans folks, people in street economies and documents the economic impacts of US policies worldwide. We also participated in the previous UPR in 2010 and 2014. This new report  builds on our previous work, including securing recommendation 86 from Uruguay.

Report the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights 2014

In September 2014 BPPP along with Desiree Alliance and SWOP-NYC, and with the support of countless other groups, submitted a new report about human rights violations in the United States against sex workers, people in sex trades, and those profiled as such to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights. This came as part of the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States’ human rights record–we also participated in the previous UPR in 2010. This new report  builds on our previous work, including securing recommendation 86 from Uruguay.

Report to UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 2014

In July 2014 the Best Practices Policy Project worked with Streetwise and Safe and the Trafficking Victims Advocacy Project at the Legal Aid Society of New York to send a shadow report to the United Nations for consideration during the review of how the United States has fared in meeting its obligations to the International Covenant on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (the “CERD”). The CERD is a key human rights treaty that outlines specific standards and steps that countries should take to prevent, redress, and eliminate racism. The submission focuses on the racial discrimination inherent to criminalization of transgender, transsexual, and gender non-conforming people of color.

Report to UN Human Rights Committee, ICCPR Review, 2013

In December 2013 the Best Practices Policy Project worked with SWOP-PHX to send a shadow report to the Human Rights Committee for consideration during the review of how the United States has fared in meeting its obligations to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the “ICCPR”). The ICCPR is a key human rights treaty that protects amongst other things equality before the law, the rights of minorities, gender equality, freedom of speech, freedom from torture, ill-treatment, and arbitrary detention, and the right to a fair trial. The submission describes civil rights violations in Phoenix, Arizona based on information collected by sex workers and allies who are actively documenting violations of sex workers’ rights. Read more about this report here.

Report to the US State Department, TIP Report, 2013

BPPP, Desiree Alliance, SWOP-NYC and SWANK sent a report to the US Department of State for inclusion in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report (the TIP Report). The annual TIP report is intended to illustrate the degree to which the United States and foreign governments comply with the “minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons” that are prescribed by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. In our written testimony our organizations strongly encouraged the US Department of State to include information in the 2013 TIP report about anti-trafficking policies that have violated the spirit of UPR Recommendation 86 leading to violence and discrimination against sex workers, people in the sex trade and people who are profiled as engaging in prostitution.  Read the full written contribution.

Report to Global Commission on HIV/AIDS, 2011

The Best Practices Policy Project and the Desiree Alliance submitted a report to the “High Income Countries Dialogue” convened by the Global Commission on  HIV and the Law. The meeting will take place on 16-17 September 2011 in California. The dialogue aims to contribute to efforts for creating  enabling legal environments which support effective HIV responses. Sharmus Outlaw, a co-coordinator of the Desiree Alliance commented in  the report that, “Many in society already incorrectly fear that sex workers spread disease. Using these laws [making engaging in sex work while living with HIV a felony] to arrest people living with HIV whips up fear against sex workers, transgender people and men who have sex with men.”

Report on human rights challenges and responses in the context of HIV and AIDS, 2010

In September 2010 the Best Practices Policy Project reported on key human rights questions in regards to HIV/AIDS in the United States for sex workers, people in the sex trade and vulnerable communities in general. This report was submitted to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in partnership with the Desiree Alliance, Bayswan, Women with a Vision, HIPS, Madre Tierra, St James Infirmary, SWOP-USA, SWOP-Tucson, SWOP-NYC and SWANK, SWOP-Colorado, SWOP-Chicago and other organizations. Key issues emerging included the lack of mention of sex work in the US National HIV Strategy, human rights violations of people living with HIV who are arrested for solicitation, and the use of condoms as evidence. Read the report and download it as a pdf.

Report the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights 2010

In 2010 BPPP had the opportunity to collaborate with organizations working with sex workers and related groups, such as BAYSWAN, Desiree Alliance, SWOP USA, St James Infirmary and many others, to produce a report about the state of sex workers’ rights in the United States to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights. The Best Practices Policy Project was one of only five human rights groups in the United States that was selected by the Sexual Rights Initiative submitting reports during the 9th Universal Periodic Review. Download a copy of a pdf of the report.

Report to the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, 2005

Members of the Best Practices Policy Project Steering Committee submitted a report to the UN Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) on October 14, 2005. The full report can be downloaded below. The UN DAW had requested; data and statistics about any type of violence against women, good practice examples from the actual experience of NGO work, and suggestions of key issues the proposed DAW study should address. Download the report.