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This is our second and latest bulletin of 2025. It offers a broad overview of events and trends in gender, sexuality, and abortion policy throughout the year to complement the analysis developed in July that addressed the policies implemented by the Trump’s second administration and the US landscape.

>> Download and read in PDF << First Words This edition of the SPW newsletter covers the main events in sexual politics since July, roughly

>>> Read/download in PDF <<< Opening Words This newsletter describes and seeks to contextualize the developments in sexual politics since February 2023. In times of

>> Read in PDF << First words In 2022, we adjusted our perspective for monitoring and analyzing sexual politics. In the previous two years, our

>>> Read in PDF  First Words Since April 2020, SPW newsletters have been tracking and analyzing sexual politics in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

>>> Download the PDF version here. First Thoughts The last 2020 SPW special hypothesized that during 2021, because of vaccines, Covid-19 would no longer be

Since July, when we published our last Special Edition, as you will see in this issue, a lot has happened in the pandemic and in the field of sexual politics. Once again, the pages that follow are quite dense, but we remind you that the sections are relatively autonomous.

First Words  In the last 2020 edition of Sexual Politics in Times of Pandemic Special of 2020, we hypothesized that throughout 2021, with the arrival

Preliminary comment In 2020, in order to adjust our lenses to COVID-19 world conditions, we suspended our regular monthly announcements and started a series of

Editors’ Note We apologize to our readers and partners for the delay in making our last Special Issue on Sexual Politics in the Pandemic available.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020, SPW has been reporting on the events, trends and dynamics triggred by Sars-Cov-2. In order to

Since January, when the Chinese government adopted extreme confinement measures in Wuhan,  the pandemic sparked the worldwide spread of questionable war semantics.  It also provided

The global scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed since April, but the crisis is still far from over. Only eight countries are listed as

Sex workers must not be left behind in the response to COVID-19 – Unaids ‘Sex workers say they’re at risk, have been left out of

The SPW Announcement for May and early June 2020 will have the same format adopted in March-April 2020, it will organize the newly compiled information

March and early April 2020 It has been very challenging to prepare the  SPW announcement for March/April 2020 due to the abnormality, risks, and losses

Prostitution Policy Watch, IPPUR, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Authors: Soraya Silveira Simões, Laura Murray, Patrícia de Moura e Silva Toledo, Thaddeus Gregory Blanchette,

Prostitution is recognized as a profession by the Ministry of Labor in Brazil. It is a foundational economy for thousands of families and red light

March – April The fragile existence of sex workers during the pandemic – New Yorker Can the world’s oldest profession survive the age of social

Abortion Your Questions About Reproductive Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Answered – Rewire Abortion and COVID-19: why we need to support women’s right to abortion

Anti- gender politics in Latin America – SPW is pleased to announce the collection Anti-gender Politics in Latin America, which encompasses  nine case studies from

This Smart Person’s Guide is a tool to support sex workers and their allies in advocating for the recognition of sex workers’ expertise. Sex workers’

The year of 2019 has finished and, as traditionally, SPW offers our readers and followers a compilation of the main facts, trends, setbacks and victories

HIGHLIGHTS Latin America: Politics in Trance In the period covered by this newsletter, Latin America has been the scene of three simultaneous elections – in

September 28 – “Abortion is a Health Issue” was the theme of this year’s International Safe Abortion Day, widely celebrated around the world (see compilation).

We start this announcement recalling that, before May 2019, two major antigender events have taken place that are worth revisiting because of their potential subsequent

#StopTheBans – Thousands of demonstrators marched in more than 500 cities across the US on May, 21th to protect abortion rights after Alabama state house passed,

Rainbow wave: record number of LGBTs running for office in India – The Times of India Riding the rainbow: first Lok Sabha elections since Section

Highlights Algeria and Sudan: A revived Arab Spring? –  Almost six years after the Arab Spring waned under the shadows of the Sissi regime, political

The Christchurch attack In Christchurch, New Zealand, a solitary white male Australian sniper killed fifty people who were praying in two mosques. Prime Minister Jacinda

#Hail International Women’s Day 2019: struggle, endurance, resistance! #Eyes on Brazil From an insider´s point of view, observing Brazilian politics after January 1st is like being caught

This map brings together information on laws which affect sex workers through the criminalisation of the sale and purchase of sexual services, and the facilitation, management or organisation of sex work, as well as other laws used to regulate sex work such as mandatory health checks and travel restrictions

As 2018 reaches its end, SPW publishes a recollection of main events, trends, discoveries and challenges as we start 2019 and prepare for all the

The Brazilian perfect storm We apologize for the delay in the circulation of SPW’s October 2018 monthly announcement due to the stormy process and result

Global Philanthropy Project and Funders for LGBTQ Issues are pleased to present the 2015-2016 Global Resources Report: Philanthropic & Government Support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,

22nd International AIDS Conference:  On July 22, Pedro Villardi, from GTPI-ABIA, participated in the  Challenging Criminalization Globally Pre-Conference, one of the more important satellites events

The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, introduced in 2016 by the Minister for Women and Child Development and approved in February 2018 by

Main global trends  ICD Reform – On June 18, the Working Group set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) released the final version of

New York’s Sex Workers rally to take back International Whores Day: ‘Let us survive’ – The Daily Beast Puta Dei in NYC and New Jersey

On the eve of the 2018 International AIDS Conference that takes place in Amsterdam (Netherlands) in July, the Global Public Health Journal, one of the

Nicaragua:  SPW calls attention to the violent political crisis sweeping through this small Central American country and expresses its solidarity with the Nicaraguan society that

On July 13-15th, 2016 Sexuality Policy Watch organized the seminar/workshop SexPolitics: Mapping Key Trends and Tensions in the Early 21st Century in Durban, South Africa.

On March 14th, 2018, Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes were brutally assassinated in a shootout a week after Women’s International Day.  Marielle was

On March 8, the International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE) promoted its publication entitled Intersectional Activism Toolkit for Sex Workers and

Main global trends Another mass shooting in Parkland (Florida) shocked the US and the world. Research findings that gained visibility after the tragedy reveal that

On February 15, Oxfam entered the role of sexual abuse scandals after the #MeToo movement swept over Hollywood and other organizations, reaching further spheres, such

Changing Faces Changing Spaces (CFCS) is a biennial pan African activist-led and planned conference facilitated by UHAI. It is a platform for African LGBTIQ and sex

In January of 2018, a fierce transnational feminist controversy erupted on the question of sexual harassment. In the same week of the Golden Globes Award

Montevideo (Uruguay) was the stage of the 14th Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Gathering (EFLAC in Spanish), where women gathered from the 23 to 25 of

As 2018 begins, SPW highlights the main events and trends as well as tensions and challenges traversing sexual politics worldwide. Trends and Facts January In

On September 2017, we proudly present you the project What you don’t see: prostitution through our own eyes, developed as part of the project “The

“We, Key Affected Populations living with or affected by HIV, proclaim that we are more than just numbers. We have essential needs that must be

Gendered, racist, classist, homophobic, and transphobic violence haunts the world of sex work. Sex workers speak. Who listens? addresses that violence, but it does so from the

June is LGBTIQ Pride month worldwide. This SPW brief highlights events around the world, prioritizing parades and other demonstrations that are not captured by mainstream radars. In that regard, we also recommend the readers who read Spanish to peruse the new blog Orgullos Críticos which examines trends and traps implied in the growing normalization and pinkwashing of pride parades

The Smart Sex Workers’ Guide to the Global Fund Strategy 2017-2022: “Investing to End Epidemics” is a resource for sex workers to better understand the purpose and the goals of the Global Fund. This Guide describes the key points of the Global Fund Strategy, looks at what they mean for sex workers, and explores the opportunities for sex work organisations to use the strategy to strengthen sex workers’ capacity to engage in Global Fund processes and influence sex worker programmes funded through the Global Fund.

Originally posted at Open Society, on April, 2017. Available here. Who are sex workers? Sex workers are female, male, or transgender adults who receive money

Text by Marlise Richter* originally published at Daily Maverick on May 29, 2017. Available here.  I am writing to you now that my fingers can

In April and May, Brazilian crisis has deepened further more, prompting colossal political chaos which reverberated in sexual politics. Sonia Corrêa, SPW co-chair, assess the deep connections within the crisis regarding threats to abortion rights. Celebrations and good news came from around the world. In Bangkok, researchers and activists gathered

Sex workers and their allies face significant obstacles in the fight to improve the health and wellbeing of sex workers globally. In the Smart Sex

In March and early April, the abortion frontline in Latin America has been remarkably eventful,  in positive ways. In Bolivia, the proposed revision of abortion

In January, the first and foremost events to be reported are avalanche of draconian and regressive policy measures adopted in the chaotic first two weeks

The preparation of this report was led by Sarah Gammage and Lisa McGowan.  They are sincerely grateful to the other drafting committee members, Vanessa Pillay,

The 24th issue of Sexualidad, Salud y Sociedad marks its eighth year of systematic publication and presents an expressive illustration of its central themes and objectives.

Sex workers are routinely subject to human rights violations by local authorities. State-sanctioned violations of human rights (such as the right to life, dignity, equality,

Sexuality Policy Watch (SPW) and the Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA) strongly support the All in for #Decrim campaign as part of the global activism surrounding the International Day Against Violence Against Sex Workers on December 17th.

“Featuring the zines produced by 24 men, women, and transgender persons who live and sell sex in the Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces of South

Portrait photography is a work of collaboration. These women are posing as they want to be seen—wearing furs or prized clothes, smiling with a pet dog, lying like one of Henri Matisse’s odalisques, or playing cards. The images are considered and composed. Other than that, we know very little about E. J. Bellocq and the women he photographed.

Originally from Prostitution Policy Watch ——————- Once again, Rio de Janeiro has hosted a sporting mega-event, this time the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. And once

The International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE) has launched its 2015 report that offers detailed description about its campaigns, resources,

In August, the Rio Olympic Games provided a privileged stage for the critical observing of gender and sexuality performances. Several SPW partners positively and generously

The Prostitution Policy Watch is preparing a report on the effects of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on sex work in the city. The survey

by Laura Molinari Alonso and Jimena de Garay The 2016 Olympics have been portrayed as the women’s Games. In fact, 2016 has seen the highest

  The  most commented sport modalities of the Rio Olympics were the gender relations obstacle course competition, racism target shooting and out-of-closet leaping by Fernando Seffner[1]

Counting money on a bed is taboo in my family. Growing up, I never fully understood why but I suspected it was another one of our countless every day South American customs that ensured we were in right relationship with the spirit world.

The Women’s Legal Centre has published their report on Police Abuse of Sex Workers in South Africa. Their report shows that 414 sex workers reported various types of violence perpetrated by police between 2011 and 2015. Of those, 13 were sexually assaulted, 71 were physically assaulted, 152 were verbally assaulted, 192 were harassed, and 254 experienced some other form of abuse.

Ending AIDS by 2030 is redundant rhetoric. It is meaningless without investment in community participation. Code red for action.

Originally posted by Susana T. Freid at Open Demoracy on 22/07/2016. Available at: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/crosstalk-linking-across-areas-of-criminalization/  In a moment of global attacks on civil society, an intersectional

The on-going political conservative trends that has brought us the Brazilian “soft coup”, BREXIT and the candidacy of Donald Trump has also resulted in an increase in reactionary politics across the political spectrum, even among “radicals” and “progressives”. In Brazil, this has been recently manifest in attacks against

Originally posted by at the Youth Coalition’s website. Available at: https://www.youthcoalition.org/abortion-rights/call-for-submissions-global-day-of-action-for-access-to-safe-and-legal-abortion-watchdog/  Recognizing 28 September as the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and

CHANGE has released its brand new report “All Women, All Rights, Sex Workers Included: U.S. Foreign Assistance and the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

The proposal launched in May by the LAC 5 countries for the creation of a Special Mandate on Human Rights and Sexual Orientation and Gender

On the 20th of May in Brantford, Ontario (Canada), a report was released by Dr. Stacey Hannem and the organisation REAL that assesses the needs

Against the backdrop of the EU referendum campaign, London-based Romanian women sex workers are using EU law to challenge the police and fight for their rights.

 Under Operation Nexus, the Met are monitoring Romanian sex workers, rounding them up and ordering them to leave the country because they claim that sex work doesn’t count as legitimate employment.

Originally posted by Peter Sarosi at the Drug Reporter on 01/07/2016. Available at: https://drogriporter.hu/en/pride-and-prejudice-sex-workers-are-excluded-from-budapest-pride/  The Pride movement is about fighting social exclusion and discrimination –

In June, 2016, as the impeachment of Dilma Roussef followed its course, it became increasingly evident that one of the strongest motivations of the power maneuvering that led to the April parliamentary coup was the interest of many of those supporting this move to strangle the ongoing investigations on corruption.

This issue of East Asia Forum Quarterly brings together prominent scholars of gender studies from various countries and disciplines to explore the diversity and complexity of issues of gender and sexuality in contemporary Asia. The essays touch on major developments that have caused shifts in gender relations. They illustrate the tensions between structural violence against women and women’s own agency in coping with male-dominant social arrangements.

We are delighted to request your help in developing a ‘story’ about your movement – the story of its history, vision, strategies, and achievements for

If we really want to clean up sexual expression among adults, let’s adopt a new standard: consent.

This is a late chronicle for several reasons. The obvious one is that it has already been more than 10 days since May 17, the International Day against Transphobia (and other wrongly called ‘phobias’ as they have nothing to do with personal pathologies but rather are social devices to preserve privileges).

As the Brazilian crisis continues unfolding it gets increasingly intricate with gender and sexuality politics. Read Sonia Corrêa and Fábio Grotz report on what happened

New double issue of Brasiliana, edited by Paul Amar, is out. It addresses the politics of violence and securitization in Rio de Janeiro. Click here

Amnesty International has published its policy on protecting sex workers from human rights violations and abuses, along with four research reports on these issues in Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Norway and Argentina.

The Sex Worker Zine Project features work that was produced by 24 men, women and transgender participants who live and sell sex in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. The project involved collaboration with the Sisonke Sex Worker Movement and the MoVE Project.

A new wave of deadly attacks against human rights and secular activists is at play in Bangladesh. In final April, two LGBT activists were hacked

In an interview a few years back, Canadian feminist and pro-choice activist Joyce Arthur drew a convincing parallel between the movement for women’s right to access safe and legal abortion and sex workers’ movements for their rights and decriminalisation of sex work.

The Paternalistic Fallacy of the “Nordic Model” of Prostitution – Huffington Post France passes law making it illegal to pay for sex – The Guardian

We have the great pleasure to inform that our Spanish page has been re-launched. In this opportunity Alejandra Sardá from Akahatá has written an update

South Korean activist prostitutes said on Thursday they would appeal to the United Nations to win back their right to work after the Constitutional Court rejected a petition to overturn a law that punishes sex workers.

Originally posted on 31/03/2016 at GATE. Available at: http://gate.ngo/2016/03/31/gate-statement-on-the-international-trans-day-of-visibility-2016/ Today, March 31st, Global Action for Trans* Equality (GATE) calls for collective and critical reflection as

Eyes gouged out for insolence, moms selling daughters to pimps, girls showered with maggots — if it happened in a Cambodian brothel, the story is never too shocking for Westerners to believe.

It’s not just young girls and big bad wolves. Lies and misconceptions about sex work can hurt women and keep negative stereotypes alive.

The State has a responsibility for protecting the LGBTI community from violence, a UN expert said on Wednesday, adding that he hopes that the Supreme Court of India makes an “enlightened” and “progressive” decision on the matter.

In February, there were good news to report from both Haiti and Europe. In the case of Haiti, the Penal Code reform is underway and

In late November, 2015, the Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IFCS/UFRJ) hosted a one week course

This article argues that strong policy frameworks are required to support the health and well-being of sex workers, disabled people, and disabled sex workers. Through an examination of the context of sex work in Canada, it articulates the flaws of sex work criminalization and the persistent barriers that criminalization creates.

Writing for the first time about being a sex worker, the author says the industry has taught her feminism and empowerment.

New medication to prevent HIV, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), could provide protection where condoms are not used. Integrating it into HIV and sexual health programming for various communities has become a focus of researchers and health and development agencies. However, PrEP raises important challenges in the context of female sex work.

In the last several months, there have been a number of rape allegations involving sex workers in the news. Most recently, a number of sex workers accused porn star James Deen of rape. Several websites have since dropped Deen, including Kink.com. Also, Jonathan “War Machine” Koppenhaver is facing 34 counts of rape, kidnapping, and attempted murder (among others) against his ex-girlfriend and porn star Christy Mack, which reportedly left her with 18 broken bones and a ruptured liver, and her friend, Corey Thomas.

As the year heads toward its end, SPW recollects main trends and facts in sexual politics worldwide. January Pope Francis drew global attention after urging

2005–2015: reflecting on ten years of Sex workers’ rights in Europe Monday 30 November 2015 · 15:00 – 17:00 European Parliament · Paul Henri Spaak

Originally published at The English Collective of Prostitutes. Available at: http://prostitutescollective.net/2009/06/11/summary-of-the-new-zealand-prostitution-reform-act/ The Prostitution Reform Act (PRA) came into operation in New Zealand in June, 2003. 

Originally published on NSWP on October 2015. Available at: http://www.nswp.org/news/call-abstracts-research-sex-work Research for Sex Work is a peer-reviewed international journal that incorporates community-led research and lived

The 13th issue of NSWP’s quarterly newsletter ‘Sex Work Digest’ covers the period July – September 2015. Features in this issue include: Decriminalisation updates from

At the global stage, one even to be highlighted was the launching of the Sex Work Law Map, produced by the Institute of Development Studies.

Originally published on IDS in 2015. Available at: http://www.ids.ac.uk/news/vital-new-resource-on-sex-work-law-will-help-sex-workers-globally-to-realise-their-rights A new Sex Work Law Map, developed by the Sexuality, Poverty and Law Programme at the

When law enforcement targets sex workers and the websites they use, mainstream outlets and organizations tend to give them a pass. But with the raid on Rentboy.com, that script has flipped.

SPW has the great pleasure to announce the publication of Working Paper nº 11 Emerging Powers, Sexuality and Human Rights: Fumbling around the elephant. Authored

After prompting a major flare of global controversies, Amnesty International’s draft policy supporting the decriminalization of sex work was voted and approved at organization’s International

José Miguel Olivar Nieto, the author of the drawing Adriana is a social communicator. He has  a master degree in Latin American Literature from the

The Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP ) has announced the publication of the 14th issue of Research for Sex Work, ‘Sex Work is

By Yasmin Nair August 25, 2015 Originally published on: http://www.yasminnair.net/content/rentboy-sex-panics-feminism-and-more We woke up to the news that Rentboy, a popular online male escort service, has been

Originally published on: http://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/largest-online-male-escort-service-raided on 25/08/2015. A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging the CEO of Rentboy.com, Jeffrey Hurant, and

Tuesday 15 September 2015 16:00 to 18:00 Westminster Kingsway College, Soho Centre, Peter Street, London Register to attend The interaction of law and poverty is

Originally published on IDS. Available at: https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinion/intersectionality-of-sexuality-inequality-and-poverty I recently had the pleasure (and challenge) of being part of a team of Research Assistants working for

“We speak to this issue from experience and evidence. Having many years of experience between us of work on sexuality-related human rights, we are seized by

In July the hottest topic to be reported on is, undoubtedly, the global controversy that emerged when Amnesty International made public a draft policy defining

The photograph taken by @Confidence — a South African sex worker — guide readers to the article I am someone, like everyone else’: A story

Michelle Agnoletti [1] In July 2015 a heated controversy around sex work and human rights erupted globally. A campaign was launched by international organizations that

In English Global Advocates Issue a Call to Amnesty International in Open Letter – Coalition Against Traffickin in Women ICRSE, 1100 organisations and individuals ask

by Sebastian Kohn July 28th, 2015, published originally at Open Society.  Amnesty International seems poised to support the decriminalization of sex work—a move that would improve

Exclusive: Hollywood stars have taken offence at Amnesty’s latest proposal to decriminalise sex work, but the human rights organisation tells Radhika Sanghani there’s been a

  The WHO Human Reproduction Program has made public this week (June 15-19th, 2015) a new groundbreaking report  titled Sexual Health, Human Rights and Law. 

After living in the shadows, thousands of Nicaraguan sex workers have broken their silence, won support from state institutions and gained new respect for their rights.

Originally published on The Global Post on 04/06/2015. Available at:  http://www.globalpost.com/article/6571484/2015/06/04/indonesias-unique-religious-and-political-culture-makes-strange Faisal Riza is a national organizer for the Organisasi Perubahan Sosial Indonesia (the Organization for Social Change,

June 3rd marked International Sex Workers Day. In Brazil the date was commemorated in many places. In Belém do Pará it also marked the anniversary

After rounding up the interview, I turned off my voice recorder, thanked Li Yinhe, and asked her what she has been up to since retiring in 2012. She smiles, and without hesitation tells me she is working on some S&M novels. “Do you know what that is?” she asks.

Read the article Women’s Funding Network’s Sex-Trafficking Study Is Junk Science, by Nick Pinto, on study regarding sex trafficking.

Originally published on Key Correspondents   The day the military raided Amina Danait’s* village in Muguru na Nyori will forever remain etched in her mind. Soldiers

Originally from NYT, published on 15/03/2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/world/swedish-prostitution-law-targets-buyers-but-some-say-it-hurts-sellers.html By DAVID CROUCH MARCH 14, 2015 GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Not far from the Sticky Fingers nightclub, three Romanian

Originally published on The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-majority-of-sex-workers-enjoy-their-job–why-should-we-find-that-surprising-10083175.html Selling sex is not inherently harmful or dangerous. Criminalising it would be Prevalent discourse would have you believe

Originally published on NYT on 20/01/2015. Available at:  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/opinion/canadas-flawed-sex-trade-law.html By JULIE KAYE JAN. 20, 2015   Photo   CreditMark Blinch/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press EDMONTON,

The Brazilian Interdisciplinary Association for Aids (ABIA) expresses its concern about the results of the survey – released in partnership with the Observatory of prostitution

The Observatory of Prostitution has published a report revealing the impacts on prostitution and sex trade arising from Brazilian World Cup during June and July.

In August, the Sexuality Policy Watch (SPW) published the outcomes from the three Regional Dialogues organized in Asia (2009), Latin America (2009) and Africa (2010)

By Anna Forbes and Sarah Elspeth Patterson August 13, 2014 – 3:54 pm During the 2014 International AIDS conference, The Lancet medical journal released a

In 2013, Sexuality Policy Watch began a new line of work aimed at critically examining how sexuality, gender and human rights  can be located in

SPW Working Paper 3, “Interrogating ‘Sexualities’ at Beijing+10?, written by Angela Collet, is an anlysis on the CSW and Beijing+10 process. Read it here.

Prostitutes are subject to repression, violence and abuse – even at the hands of law enforcement, research shows Prof Chris Beyrer speaks at the International

Sex workers organizations from Canada are mobilizing supports to battle against a bill aimed at criminalizing prostitution and a wide range of activities related to

The Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association vehemently repudiates the grave human rights violations committed on May 23rd by civil police against more than 200 sex workers

These short vídeos document Sexuality Policy Watch activities at the 2006 International AIDS Conference in Toronto: a workshop to discuss the preliminary findings of the

 

Sexual and reproductive rights global landscape in March and early April 2014 During March and early April, Brazil was under the spotlight in terms of

Read NY Times article about some of the findings of a landmark government-sponsored report on the size and structure of the sex economy in USA,

Read New York Times article about China’s harshest anti-vice campaign in years and its effects on the economy of Dongguan, a southern city of more

Dear friends, Around the World During January and February 2014, SPW has watched the development of anti-homosexuality bills in Nigeria and Uganda, as well as

In mid February, the Chinese government launched  a policy offensive against activities deemed as vices such pornography and prostitution. The operation took place in the

Read The Guardian’s article about Brazilian authorities attempts to sanitise the country’s image by repressing sex-related businesses. Click here.

Canada’s highest court struck down the country’s prostitution laws that punish keeping a brothel, living on the avails of prostitution and street soliciting. According to

France’s Parliament approved a law that punishes clients who buy sexual services from prostitutes. SPW is following the debate. The case has turned a big

November was marked by two relevant facts in the sexual and reproductive rights landscape: the financing of Human Rights Campaign to promote LGBT rights and

Article published on “The Indenpend”, signed by Jeremy Laurance,  presents  the elaborate strategies adopted to persuade sex workers to practise safe sex through African countries. Click

In an article published at Journal of the International AIDS Society, Chris Beyrer and Monica Malta highlight setbacks on the Brazilian political and financial commitment

In article, New York Times discusses aspects of Rio de Janeiro policy on the organization of Olympic Games: brothles are being captured by an atmosphere

In October 2013 our main themes were the following: On October 10, activist Gabriela Leite, who devoted her life to fight for the rights of

The death of Gabriela Leite, on October 10, meant a great loss for the struggle for the rights of prostitutes, and sexual rights brodaly speaking,

Anti-sex work group, Equality Now, recently launched an attack on the UN over recommendations to decriminalise sex work in two reports on HIV and Sex

The United Nations Secretary-General’s envoy for HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean, Dr Edward Greene, has pleaded for the removal of discriminatory immigration laws in

“It has been ten years since New Zealand parliamentarians, after considerable debate and encouragement from sex workers, mainstream women’s organizations, and public health advocates, voted

UN Women has supported sex workers in response to Equality Now’s anti-sex worker campaign. The statement recognize the rights of sex workers by striving to

Latin American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights brough interviews with scholars (Sealing Cheng and Thaddeus Blanchette) working on the connections between love, prostitution and

Read the article, by SPW partner Raphael de la Dehesa, in which he discusses Brazilian sexual and reprodutive rights landscape. Although being hailed as a

During the month of September, Sexuality Policy Watch has followed the global landscape of sexual and reproductive rights. In the Latin American scene, we highlighted

The political history of prostitution in Brazil has been winding. In recent years, the hegemony of discourses on sexual exploitation and trafficking for sexual purposes

During September, Sexuality Policy Watch followed the global landscape of sexual and reproductive rights. In the Latin American scene, we highlighted the Regional Conference on

The Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) has launched a statement on the attacks made by Equality Now on UN recommendation calling for decriminalisation

Read some information on the recent Brazilian context on regressions in sexual and reproductive politics.

Read the “Letter Repudiating the Ministry of Health’s Censorship of the Campaign about Prostitution and HIV/AIDS”, written by the Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association – ABIA, after the Ministry of Health announced its censorship of the campaign about prostitution and HIV/AIDS launched on International Prostitutes Day (June 2nd).

Read “Rethinking Policing in the Age of AIDS”, an article by Aleksandr Zelichenko and Tan Sri Mohd Zaman Khan.

The Global Dialogues Video Challenges are an innovative, intercreative approach to making short YouTube films on global social issues. Check out this one about “Young and HIV Positive”.

Brazil: Read the “Civil Society follow up on the crisis Brazilian AIDS Response,” published after the Ministry of Health Note of Clarification in opposition to a public note written by Brazilian NGOs with concerns about the funds for AIDS programs.

Read the “Brazilian Ministry of Health Note of Clarification” regarding the Brazlian NGOs note on the funds that had been originally transferred by the Union for the exclusive use of AIDS programs, but were not used until december 2011.

Read the “Transcription of the Brazilian NGOs original note,” with concerns on the ordinance published by the Ministry of Health of that allows states and municipalities to use, for “general health purposes,” those funds that had been originally transferred by the Union for the exclusive use of AIDS programs, but were not used until december 2011.

Global: To mark the World AIDS Day 2012, celebrated on 1st December, we present a series of contents , like the special World AIDS Day edition of the Alliance newsletter, a statement from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and more. Read now.

The Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA) is completing 25 years in 2012. To mark this anniversary, a seminar will be held in August 2012 that will analyze the trajectory of the thirty years of AIDS in Brazil and the current challenges currently facing the Brazilian national response to the epidemic. Read more.

India: Though sex workers weren’t even permitted to participate, they managed to take a stand at the International AIDS Conference, which took place in USA, in july 2012. Besides, more than 1,000 sex workers from India and other nations convened in Kolkata for the “Sex Worker Freedom Festival”. Read more.

Brazil: After awake praises in the international arena and be highlighted as a model, Brazilian National STD/AIDS Program is called to correct its course years. Read more.

Global: To mark the International Women’s Day and to highlight backs and forwards in terms of women’s current condition, SPW has gathered a series of articles, studies, news and arts in a special bulletin.

December 1st is the World AIDS Day. Despite recent advances on treatment and prevention projects, women are still missing in policies to fight and prevent

Read the article “Argentina uncategorized: Debates about human trafficking, prostitution and sex work,” by Carolina Justo von Lurzer and Santiago Morcillo, on the debate organized by the Sexualities Studies Group of the Gino Germani Research Institute of the University of Buenos Aires to discuss the public policies related to prostitution, after president Cristina Fernandez Kirchner announced the enactment of the decree 936/11, which prohibits advertisements that promote sexual services in all media.

Argentina: Read the press release written by AMMAR – Sex Workers Argentina repudiating the Presidential Decree that prohibits publicity that promotes sex services.

SPW has contacted Serra Sippel, director of CHANGE: Center for Health and Gender Equity, and asked her what are the practical implications of the positive

USA: After the United Nations evaluation of the United States’ human rights record, the U.S. released a report to the U.N. affirming that “no one should face violence or discrimination in access to public services based on sexual orientation or their status as a person in prostitution.”

Read Laura Agustin’s article Sex, Lies and Videotaping, about BBC World Debate programme on Human Trafficking, at the Naked Anthropologist on Migration, Trafficking and Sex blog.

Read the issue number 6 of the Sexuality, Health and Society – Latin American publication (contents in Spanish, Portuguese and English), published by the Latin American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights (CLAM). Despite an instigating article on the relations between clients and female prostitutes in Rio de Janeiro, and a reference to other countries (Mexico and Chile) in two of the book reviews, all the other articles and reviews in this issueconcentrate on Argentina. Even if such concentration is due to the random influx of submissions, it is rather timely. With the approval of the so-called Equal Marriage Bill, Argentina has gone, over the past few months, over important transformations in the expansion of civil rights.

Uganda: A sex worker conference that would be held from November 18-20, 2010 was under attack by the Government. Read and support a call to action organized by FARUG – Freedom and Roam Uganda.

Click on the icons to see the pictures in a bigger version. Photos by Malu S. Marin

The report “Sexuality and Development: Brazilian National Response to HIV/AIDS amongst Sex Workers” presents the main findings of a case study conducted during 2008-2009 by The Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA), which is one component of a global research initiative sponsored by the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) “Sexuality and Development” Program.

The UN Special Rapporteur to health, Anand Grover, has dedicated his thematic report at the 14th session of the UN Human Rights Council to issues

USA: Even with Obama, the prostitution pledge remains on place in the case of PEPFAR, the US Funding for HIV/AIDS.

Third Panel – Sexuality and Economics: visibilities and invisibilities Morning – August 25, 2009 The panel that followed was chaired by Lucila Esquivel, coordinator of

Third Session – Sexuality and Economics: visibilities and invisibilities Morning – August 25, 2009 The overview paper, Prostitution as economic activity in urban Brazil, was

Second panel — Science and Sexual Politics Afternoon – August 24, 2009 In the panel that followed, these points were further examined from rather distinct

First Session – Sexuality, States and Political Processes Morning—August 24 , 2009 The first session of the Latin American Dialogue on Sexuality and Geopolitics was

In this issue learn what SPW has been doing since January, including the Asian Regional Dialogue on Sexuality and Geopolitics, held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in April 10-12, 2009, and the web-based survey to evaluate the use and application of the Yogyakarta Principles whithin Brazilian LGBT activists, groups and researchers. Read also about global and local events involving sexuality, politics, as well as recent sexuality/sexual rights advocacy. See what projects and events connect art and sexuality and browse listings of upcoming events, scholarships, job opportunities and publications.

Asia, with its high-income countries and rapidly industrializing centers rising in the midst of widespread poverty and regional inequalities, is a primary source and locus

Argentina uncategorized: Debates about human trafficking, prostitution and sex work In this article, Carolina Justo von Lurzer and Santiago Morcillo present the main points debateted

To US Congress Re: PEPFAR January 31, 2008 Dear Member of the US Congress: We are members of non-governmental and community-based organizations from throughout the

Svati Shah* Along with shifts in the global economy and a new presidential administration in the U.S.A., 2008 also brought the possibility of change in

In its eleventh edition, the International AWID Forum, held in Cape Town, South Africa, in November of 2008, has for the first time opened the

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