Well, yesterday was a great day. For those of you who don’t know, Amnesty International’s International Council made a groundbreaking decision to support adult sex work around the world. This move is a big step towards making the world safer for people pursuing this work.
Great move
Adult Sex workers live in one of the most marginalized bodies in the world and are almost always at risk of discrimination, violence, and abuse. Amnesty International said, “Our global movement has paved the way for the adoption of policies that protect the human rights of adult sex workers, which will help shape Amnesty’s future work on this important issue.” The resolution calls for policies that mandate consensual adult sex work for adults. The policy also requires all countries to ensure that adult sex employees are free from exploitation, trafficking, and brutality.
“We realize that this vital mortal rights issue is very complex, which is why we approached it from the perspective of international human rights standards. We also consulted with global movements to take into account diverse opinions from around the world,” said.
After surveying and speaking with adult sex workers (a novel concept, I think), they concluded that the best way to protect those who adult sell sex to adults is to protect them from attacks and assaults. These offenses include brutality, sexual violence, human trafficking, blackmail, and other unpleasant things.
Sex worker groups participated in the consultation
, representing prostitution “survivors” as well as anti-trafficking organizations, women’s rights organizations, sexual health organizations, and abolitionists.
This decision took a long time of careful consideration, but they are undoubtedly happy. Today is a historic day for Amnesty International. This decision was not taken lightly or quickly. We thank all our members worldwide and the groups we consulted for their essential contributions to this discussion. They helped make important decisions that will shape future human rights work in this field.
Totally agree
Everyone here is pleased with this decision. First, every woman (and every man) has the right to choose what kind of work they want to do. Once they make that decision, they have the right to do it in a safe environment. Laws should not be made for these reasons. National security should come first.
It will be even more challenging for governments to adopt the Swedish model now that a highly respected organization like Amnesty International is on board. I highly doubt they can accuse AA of being “pimps” and “traffickers.” But some of these people may never know.
