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On Thursday 26 June 2025, sex workers and allies will gather for an important protest at the iconic Broken Chair monument, Place des Nations, from 18:00 to 19:30.

Under the banner “Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs”, this demonstration will honour and celebrate the powerful legacy of sex worker rights activism and its hard-won victories, while also calling attention to the ongoing struggle to recognise the rights of sex workers today.

Le jeudi 26 juin 2025, les travailleurs du sexe et leurs alliés se rassembleront pour une importante manifestation au monument emblématique de la Broken Chair, Place des Nations, de 18h00 à 19h30.

Sous la bannière « Seuls les droits peuvent mettre fin aux injustices », cette manifestation honorera et célébrera le puissant héritage de l'activisme en faveur des droits des travailleurs⋅euses du sexe et ses victoires durement acquises, tout en attirant l'attention sur la lutte en cours pour la reconnaissance de leurs droits aujourd'hui.

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.

The report on consent presents overly broad generalisations without clear alternatives, grouping diverse industries under uniform criticism. Her paternalistic analysis denies the decision-making autonomy of women, effectively denying their agency under the guise of protection. This protectionist analysis, which is reflected in the Special Rapporteur’s work, scapegoats trans and gender diverse people, creating an artificial hierarchy of rights.

By focusing on “protective” approaches rooted in moral frameworks, the report reinforces harmful narratives that view sex workers primarily as victims, or ignore the existence of sex work as work! The digital frontier is not new for sex workers; for years, we have faced cyber-bullying, online harassment, cyber monitoring, and platform discrimination. Punitive laws and anti-sex work policies continue to expose sex workers to violence, both online and offline, and restrict our access to digital tools that we utilize for our safety

We appreciate that the report recognizes the contribution that care and support work makes to the global economy. To talk seriously about care is to talk about money. We support its assertion that care and support systems must be grounded in an intersectional, feminist, and human rights-based approach, and that the work of those who provide care must be decent, formalized, and well-paid. We emphasize the obligations of States in this matter, and the need to reduce and redistribute unpaid care work.

Valoramos que el informe reconozca la contribución a la economía global que produce el trabajo de cuidado y de apoyo. Hablar de cuidados seriamente es hablar de dinero. Acompañamos la afirmación que hace sobre la necesidad de un enfoque interseccional, feminista y basado en los derechos humanos para el establecimiento de sistemas de cuidado y apoyo, y que el trabajo de quienes los proveen sea decente, formalizado y bien remunerado. Insistimos en las obligaciones de los Estados en este tema y en la necesidad de reducir y redistribuir el cuidado no pago.

As we address gender-based violence in conflict, post-conflict, and humanitarian settings, we must prioritize one of the marginalized groups who are often ignored: female sex workers. Sex workers face compounded vulnerabilities, including stigma, discrimination, and lack of access to justice. Health and safety concerns are exacerbated in conflict, with increased risks of violence, HIV, and other health issues. Human rights violations are rampant, with dignity and freedom from violence consistently disregarded.

Sex workers face obstacles in accessing justice, both as victims of crime and when accused. Criminalisation of sex work, stigma and discrimination, as well as police corruption and violence, also limit successful prosecutions and convictions of perpetrators, as well as access to compensation and support services for victims.