59th session of the Human Rights Council
Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
Statement by the Global Network of Sex Work Projects
Thank you, President.
My name is Phelister Abdalla. I am the President of the Global Network of Sex Work Projects and a sex worker by choice. I am the national coordinator of KESWA and of the End Femicide movement in Kenya.
We acknowledge the special rapporteur’s analysis of femicide as a global emergency. As sex workers, GBV and femicide is a part of our struggle. In 2024, 170 women were killed in Kenya – a 79% increase in femicide cases from 2023. One-third of these cases were sex workers.
These killings cannot be regarded in isolation; they are not by chance. They are deeply rooted in structural inequalities, patriarchal norms and state neglect. For sex workers, this means the criminalisation of our work and stigmatisation, which is a direct result of patriarchal norms in Kenyan society.
Sex workers have a right to a safe working environment. We are women, we are mothers, we are workers. But due to criminalisation and discrimination, going back home alive everyday is not assured.
As sex workers, we demand respect for our consent when we say we choose sex work and when we demand the full decriminalisation of our work for our rights, health and safety.
Thank you.