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IDEVASW 2020
Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Violence against sex workers does not begin with a violent client or assailant.
Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Violence against sex workers does not begin with a violent client or assailant.
Television and movies have planted images in our heads of bad men and broken women. Sex workers being dragged sullenly into police stations by heroic police men.
Why though? What have they done wrong? If they’ve broken the law, what purpose do those laws serve? Even SWERFs admit that most sex work stems from poverty and inequality, so why are sex workers being arrested?
It’s long past time to look beyond images of shadowy thugs in dark alleyways and high time we look at the thugs in suits and offices and courts and government buildings that do far more to harm sex workers than individuals or gangs of thugs ever could.
What about the Garda that officiates over the eviction of a single mother that was breaking no laws? Should he consider himself a good guy?
What about the senior Garda that directs the GardaĂ beneath him to throw single mothers out of their homes?
What about the senior Garda that directs the GardaĂ beneath him to throw single mothers out of their homes?
What about the politicians that criminalize sex workers working together for safety? Under the guise of somehow protecting “fallen” women? And the Gardaà that enforce it? Good guys or thugs endangering vulnerable women?
What about a judge that ridiculed a 73 year old woman that had resorted to sex work to pay for her son’s kidney operation? And sentenced 2 young women, one pregnant, just for working together, ridiculing them as he sentenced them to 9 months?
What about the NGOs that fought for laws and policing that leads to women engaging in sex work being evicted, jailed and deported? Or opening direct provision centers (
) to profit by keeping them prisoner?
) to profit by keeping them prisoner?
Or what about influential academics that conduct research on how a law affects the lives of sex workers, but they only interview GardaĂ and the religious NGO that pushed for the law and no sex workers? What about the violence that might result?
What about a justice minister that admitted she knew a law would increase violence against sex workers but said she hoped it might deter others? What about politicians that could make housing affordable but don’t?
This IDEVASW it’s time to look beyond the individual shadowy thugs and examine the violence that stems from religion, ideology and from from those in power.
#IDEVASW #IDEVASW2020 #sexworkersallianceireland #sexworkiswork #NMisBS #SWAI #sexworkiswork #decrimforsafety
#IDEVASW #IDEVASW2020 #sexworkersallianceireland #sexworkiswork #NMisBS #SWAI #sexworkiswork #decrimforsafety
