2009 November Protest

 A protest was organised by NAUWU for November 2009 to highlight the fact that Sex Workers are the Experts and must be consulted on all issues that affects us and the sex industry. We aimed to highlight that we have had 13 successful years of decriminalised sex work in NSW and that decriminalisation has created equitable Occupational Health and Safety standards, the best health outcomes for sex workers and the general public, increased access to human rights and justice, and allows police to work on protection, rather than prosecution, of sex workers.

Please follow our journey below from the beginning to the end including:

• the flyer we created inviting other workers to come along and join us
• the press release we gave to the media
• the Degrees we presented (and tried to present)
• some pictures from the day

It really was a special day for all of us and as one protestor who walked with us said...

Really enjoyed yesterday - it was a visual symphony!!!

Flyer Inviting Workers to Attend

NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US PUBLIC FLYER NOV 09.pdf

Press Release

*** media alert for immediate use ***

Sex workers are the experts

NSW Decriminalisation Best, Victorian Licensing Worst

When: 12noon Friday 13th November

Where: The Domain, Sydney CBD

What: Sex Workers Graduation Ceremony

Following the ceremony Sex Work Class of 2009 will parade to the
Planning Ministers’ office to award Minister Kristina Keneally an
honourary degree in “Decriminalisation of Sex Work.”

Sex workers, supporters and Government endorse the success of 13 years
of decriminalised sex work in NSW.

Decriminalisation has created equitable Occupational Health and Safety
standards, the best health outcomes for sex workers and the general
public, increased access to human rights and justice, and allows
police to work on protection, rather than prosecution, of sex workers.

The sex workers of NSW will present Minister Keneally an Honorary
Degree for in Decriminalisation of sex work!

Media statements:

Janelle Fawkes, Scarlet Alliance: “Recent events make it clear that
the NSW Government is suffering from corporate memory loss on this
issue and is being badly advised. The decriminalised model of sex
industry regulation is a highly successful and appropriate model for
NSW. However, the failure of local government councilors to do their
part in this model has created problems. The NSW Government is today
celebrated for continuing to support this model. Councilors wanting to
shirk their responsibility to practice equal consideration of
development applications is not a good reason to change a model of
regulation that has been highly effective in providing strong
Occupational Health and Safety outcomes for sex workers."

Saul Isbister, NSW Sex Worker: Decriminalisation of sex work is the
best model for sex worker health and safety, sex worker human rights
and public health. NSW celebrates a history that recognises sex work
as a legitimate work, and sex workers as the experts! We call upon
Minister Keneally to endorse the decriminalisation model for sex
work."

Dr Lynda Dayan, Sexual Health Physician, Sydney: “Christina Keneally
should take heed of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban
Ki Moon who urges: “We can remove punitive laws, policies, practices,
stigma and discrimination that block effective responses to AIDS.”
Decriminalisation is the best approach to support both the human
rights and health of sex workers.”

Dr Christine Harcourt, Researcher, Sydney: “Extensive research over
more than 20 years in NSW has shown that decriminalisation together
with other health and sex worker community support measures have
resulted in excellent sexual health outcomes for sex workers and
improved access by community outreach and support agencies.
Decriminalisation is the best approach to advance the human rights of
sex workers and improve occupational health and safety in the sex
industry. International and Australian research has shown that where
sex work is regulated by licensing many sex workers are left out of
the system, become relatively inaccessible by outreach and health
workers because of their 'non-licensed' status and consequently suffer
worse health and welfare outcomes than those in the system. By
contrast decriminalisation potentially provides a level playing field
for all sex workers to improve their conditions.”

Melanie Robinson, Sex Workers Union: "Workplace conditions are best
improved by strengthening workers ability to address O H & S issues
through industrial processes -  not by licensing or by giving brothel
owners more power over sex workers. Sex workers have maintained good
work conditions in NSW because of decriminalisation, which allows us a
range of workplaces to choose from, whether it be brothel work,
private work, escort work, street based work or internet sex work."

Media Contacts:

media.nauwu@gmail.com

NUAWU Masters Degrees

Handed out to sex workers on the march to each other. Aimed to remind everyone sex workers are the experts and must be consulted.

NUAWU Honorary Masters Degree

We wanted to award it to the Planning Minister, Minister Kristina Keneally to remind her Sex Workers are the Experts and her role as a Minister re: advocacy, law reform and recognising sex workers rights.

Pictures from the Day

Includes pictures of protestor's in the domain, walking to Minister Kristina Keneally's Office, awarding and reading out Masters and Honorary Masters in Sex Work out the front of the Planning Office

Acknowledging people who helped out

We just want to acknowledge the people who contributed to the event whether they made it there in the flesh or not. There were many people behind the scenes who did things like:

• make the Masters Certificates
• sourced the material and sewing the red gowns
• acted as media coordinators
• registered email addresses
• put the press release together
• handed out flyers to sex workers at sex worker events
• lobbied within agencies to allow NAUWU to be allowed to hand out flyers at events
• met with the media and Ministers at Parliament to let them know about the event and our message prior to the event
• attended the NAUWU meetings to help brain storm and plan the event
• contributed funding to buy resources we needed for the event (both individual sex workers and agencies)

... there were lot's of people helping before, during and after the event. Thank you to everyone who made the protest possible

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