Sex workers rights demonstration in Stockholm
Donation protected
This fundraiser is to help us cover the costs of the demonstration planned for May 21st, 2022, and online protest campaign against harmful laws targeting sex workers. This will include permit, materials for signs and banners, potential outsourced tasks for online related protest campaigning, lodging / travel costs for some members of RUS in Sweden and some international guest speakers from sex worker rights organisations.
We are asking allies and colleagues who have the resources to contribute, since we are a volunteer-based organization without any current funding. We understand that many will not be able to contribute economically, but please feel free to share this in your networks and on social media.
Any amount left over from said purposes of fundraising will be used towards other activities supporting the rights and community building by and for sex workers.
Why are we protesting?
On the 21st of June a proposition of a series of legal changes by the government is to be voted on by the parliament in Sweden. The title of this is “Sharpened view of rape and other sexual violations”. We want to make it clear that we support the initiatives to increase the protection of children and adults who are exposed to sexual abuse. The only change we oppose is the raise of the minimum punishment for purchase of consensual sexual services from a fine, to a prison sentence.
Neither Red Umbrella Sweden, nor any other sex worker rights organization in Sweden was officially invited to give our input on the matters of this political process. Matters that will have a detrimental effect on our lives. We independently sent our input to the government, voicing our concerns about how this change will worsen the already harmful conditions for sex workers, that are being upheld by the current legal system, and asking they acknowledge the research showing that criminalization of sex workers clients contributes to increased stigma, violence, less access to justice and ultimately less protection against sexual abuse.
With a surge in police surveillance, it will not be our clients who are being followed and raided to a larger extent, but sex workers will be the targets. We fear that as usual the harshest consequences will be targeting the most vulnerable in our communities such as migrants, trans women, people of colour, mothers, LGBTQIA+ folks, drug users and those who are experiencing poverty.
The government's position
The government has made it clear in their official documents that their point of view, no matter what upcoming studies will show, is that they are supporting the law change regarding sex work. The conflation of abuse and sex work inherently being the same thing is in fact making sex workers more vulnerable to abuse. We are tired of not being listened to and we are scared of the consequences this upcoming proposition will have on our lives.
Stigma rises and we are scared of the future
The stigma that seems to be rising steadily against sex workers in Sweden is excluding us from social, medical, and legal help and we are forced to work in a criminalized environment that punishes us for making a living. From a study made by Kuosmanen, J we can see that in 1996, 30% of Swedes believed that selling sexual services should be criminalized, whereas in 2012 52 %, believed it should be prohibited by law. In the already unsafe legal framework where sex workers are being harassed by police, lack access to rights and safety, are evicted from our homes, migrant workers (as well as trafficking victims) are deported and racially profiled - we are terrified of what is coming next.
Are we the last piece in the puzzle to be directly criminalized? Will there be a proposition to punish us with fines first and then finally to imprison us?
We want to invite you to stand together and join us on the 21st of May at 15.00 in Stockholm for a demonstration against the Swedish governments proposition and its systematically unjust treatment of sex workers!
We are asking allies and colleagues who have the resources to contribute, since we are a volunteer-based organization without any current funding. We understand that many will not be able to contribute economically, but please feel free to share this in your networks and on social media.
Any amount left over from said purposes of fundraising will be used towards other activities supporting the rights and community building by and for sex workers.
Why are we protesting?
On the 21st of June a proposition of a series of legal changes by the government is to be voted on by the parliament in Sweden. The title of this is “Sharpened view of rape and other sexual violations”. We want to make it clear that we support the initiatives to increase the protection of children and adults who are exposed to sexual abuse. The only change we oppose is the raise of the minimum punishment for purchase of consensual sexual services from a fine, to a prison sentence.
Neither Red Umbrella Sweden, nor any other sex worker rights organization in Sweden was officially invited to give our input on the matters of this political process. Matters that will have a detrimental effect on our lives. We independently sent our input to the government, voicing our concerns about how this change will worsen the already harmful conditions for sex workers, that are being upheld by the current legal system, and asking they acknowledge the research showing that criminalization of sex workers clients contributes to increased stigma, violence, less access to justice and ultimately less protection against sexual abuse.
With a surge in police surveillance, it will not be our clients who are being followed and raided to a larger extent, but sex workers will be the targets. We fear that as usual the harshest consequences will be targeting the most vulnerable in our communities such as migrants, trans women, people of colour, mothers, LGBTQIA+ folks, drug users and those who are experiencing poverty.
The government's position
The government has made it clear in their official documents that their point of view, no matter what upcoming studies will show, is that they are supporting the law change regarding sex work. The conflation of abuse and sex work inherently being the same thing is in fact making sex workers more vulnerable to abuse. We are tired of not being listened to and we are scared of the consequences this upcoming proposition will have on our lives.
Stigma rises and we are scared of the future
The stigma that seems to be rising steadily against sex workers in Sweden is excluding us from social, medical, and legal help and we are forced to work in a criminalized environment that punishes us for making a living. From a study made by Kuosmanen, J we can see that in 1996, 30% of Swedes believed that selling sexual services should be criminalized, whereas in 2012 52 %, believed it should be prohibited by law. In the already unsafe legal framework where sex workers are being harassed by police, lack access to rights and safety, are evicted from our homes, migrant workers (as well as trafficking victims) are deported and racially profiled - we are terrified of what is coming next.
Are we the last piece in the puzzle to be directly criminalized? Will there be a proposition to punish us with fines first and then finally to imprison us?
We want to invite you to stand together and join us on the 21st of May at 15.00 in Stockholm for a demonstration against the Swedish governments proposition and its systematically unjust treatment of sex workers!
Give kr250 to help get this fundraiser to its goal
Organizer
Red Umbrella Sweden
Organizer
Stockholm
