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The
3rd Annual International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
This
week's entries are in honour of December 17th - the International
Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers.
Website
Feature
05-12-12
Saturday, December 17th is the International Day To End Violence
Against Sex Workers. This is a day to call attention to the hate
crimes and violence against sex workers all around the world. It
originally began as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the
Green
River Killer and now it has grown to be a day for strategizing
to end these acts as well as remember the victims. Over thirty cities
around the world have participated in this event. In Canada the
focus has been on two large groups of missing and murdered women
in Vancouver
and in Edmonton.
So in honour
of this important day, and in hopes of informing people of the issues,
I will be writing this week about violence and sex work and how
it needs not be the way it is.
Today I would
like to draw your attention to a website for the Sex
Workers Outreach Project. They are spearheading the December
17th campaign and their website contains background on the day,
the events being held for it and various strategies to combat violence
against sex work.
Victimization
and Whores
05-12-13
Common thinking says that when it comes to sex work that violence
just comes with the territory. It should be expected. If a sex worker
experiences violence they deserve it for working in such a stigmatized,
dangerous field. Well, it is not necessarily so and it need not
necessarily be. In fact, the danger is directly related to the stigmatization
of sex work and its criminalization.
People who are
the most susceptible to violence are those who are the least protected
and the most 'chased' by the law. Sex workers, porn performers and
webcam whores in North America for example, can work legally and
subsequently have access to the resources of the law if they experience
violence. People who work in criminalized circumstances such as
an escort do not have the same options. Seeking help will only highlight
their work.
Still, regardless
of the legality of their work, if a sex worker wishes to report
a crime, she/he is less likely to be taken seriously than those
individuals outside of the sex industry. Sex worker stigma is so
strong that a crime committed against you as a sex worker (whether
it occurred on the job or not) is often thought to be your own doing
and no recourse is offered. Worse yet, violence can be inflicted
by the very hands of those who are supposed to help you.
Men who want to be physically violent look for people they can take
advantage of. They seek out those who are marginalized by society.
They seek women and children. They seek out aboriginal women and
other visible minorities. They seek out the poor. They look for
people who have fewer connections to society. They look for people
who they think will not be missed. They think that sex workers fit
the bill.
Abusers are
not the only ones who think this way. I have heard the common person
say they think that sex workers, and especially street prostitutes,
are less valuable people. Whores, sluts, cunts. It is an expression
of sex worker stigma. Parasites, lazy, scum. It is an expression
of the disdain for already marginalized people. It is like sex workers
do not deserve compassion and human rights. How can that attitude
make for a better world? It just does not.
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Gary Ridgway,
the Green River killer, targeted prostitutes "because
I thought I could kill as many as I wanted without getting
caught."
"I
hate most prostitutes. I did not want to pay them for sex.
I also picked prostitutes as victims because they were easy
to pick up, without being noticed. I knew they would not be
reported missing right away, and might never be reported missing.
- Gary
Ridgway (pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder)
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How can this
situation be addressed? If you think sex work is inherently wrong,
then you might think that by criminalizing the work it will no longer
exist and subsequently the violence will end. Well, it is already
criminal in many parts of the world and the work continues to exist.
The violence continues to exist. Criminalization is not a successful
option. In fact, where their work is criminal sex workers have to
work in the shadows, both literally and figuratively. They cannot
take their time to access their clients. They cannot easily work
with others who might offer them protection and "get their
back". They take risks in order to work and earn their living.
The risks are not inherent in the work itself, but in the working
conditions. That is the key.
Changing the
working conditions holds hope in bringing an end to violence against
sex workers. In a future entry I will look at some ways in which
sex workers and their supporters can work to accomplish this. In
the meantime I recommend you check out Annie
Sprinkle's website and especially her 40
Reasons Why Whores Are My Heroes.
The
Violence of Words
05-12-14
I have been very fortunate in my life. I have not experienced physical
violence beyond some sibling entanglements and the rare parental
spanking. However, I have dealt with harassment in the workplace,
as well as aggression by strangers in bars, concerts and on the
street. When you work in retail or customer service you deal with
a fair amount of verbal aggression that can often turn into physical
intimidation and even physical violence. In these cases the work
itself is not blamed. The person engaging in the work is not blamed.
The person inflicting the violence is. If I am serving you a meal
at a restaurant, taking your complaint at a service desk, or handling
looking into your account via customer service line I can only do
so well if you do not swear at me, if you do not threaten me, and
if you do not insult me. This kind abuse is wrong. The abuser is
in the wrong. And for the most part they are held accountable (or
at least refused service until they can behave appropriately). The
same cannot be said of verbal abusers in the sex industry.
Verbal aggression
is relatively common place in sex work in the virtual realm. Due
to its anonymous nature the consequences of such behaviour on abusers
are few and far between. People harass you and insult you through
email and in chat during webcam shows. One gal recently got this
directive during her show - "Kick her in the face, and then
shit on her while she's unconscious". Lovely. Unfortunately,
this kind of thing is not rare. It can get to you some times. It
can confuse you. You are sitting there being pleasant and sexual,
entertaining your audience, and someone says something vile to you.
Your mind and body are violently shoved from this moment of bliss
into an ugly state. You have to deal with this person otherwise
she/he will continue interjecting the chat with her/his hostility
and cruelty. When this happens often (and it does) it can affect
your sense of self and your sense of the world. These bad apples
really ruin it for everyone.
I am not exactly
sure why people say such horrible things, but I have some theories.
They do so because they think it is funny. They do so because they
are bored. They do so because they are angry. Why do they think
this kind of behaviour is an appropriate outlet for such feelings?
My pet theory - they think they can get away with it because they
are on the Internet, because there are no real world consequences,
and finally, because they are dealing with naked women. Naked women
are sluts and do not deserve respect and the ability to work in
safety and dignity. We are all classless bimbos. Why treat us nicely?
I think changing
these attitudes will take some time and effort. One idea - peer
pressure is a good tool. The considerate people in chat help keep
the meanies in line. They let them know what they have done is not
cool. I am so thankful to have the nice chatters in my chatroom.
Speaking up in the real world is also beneficial. When your buddies
are spouting off stereotypes about "loose women" or "ho's",
challenge them. Use the power of words for good.
Repression
05-12-15
I thought it
would be appropriate to share this article, which was originally
published as the editorial for the "Prison
Issue" (Winter 2005) of Constellation, a magazine published
by Stella.
Stella is an organization created, and run by and for sex workers,
located in Montreal.
Translation
from French to English by Helen Hudson.
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Repression
against sex workers is on the rise across the world and is
having devastating effects. In the city of Montreal the number
of sex worker related arrests totalled 38 in 2001, yet by
2004 there had been 715 in the first nine months of the year
alone - a record!
Whether
due to gentrification; the campaign against "trafficking'
or so-called rehabilitation; sex workers, especially those
who work on the streets, pay the highest price of repression.
The police tactics have changed, but the criminalization with
its disastrous consequences, remains. Our lives are often
destroyed by frequently going in and out of jail. "Quadrilatres"
(ed: Quadrilateres is a condition imposed on sex workers restricting
us from circulating in a named neighbourhood or city zone)
are being used frequently as a new punishment for street prostitutes.
Our ability to circulate while working on the street is restricted,
an our access to essential services is cut off - such as health
care, support, childcare, etc. There is also the loss of revenue,
often resulting in the loss of our homes. Not to mention losing
custody of our children. We are deported to our countries
of origin, or forced into rehabilitation centres on the pretext
of saving us. And when we seek refuge…they come after
us… without compassion, without scruples, at the cost
of our safety.
The prisons
are full. And to what end? The number of women incarcerated
with HIV is 8.8% compared to 2.3% of men! In Canada in 2001,
42.4% of women incarcerated in federal prisons were living
with Hepatitis C! And it is even more difficult for Native
women. Nonetheless, the number of us doing sex work is not
decreasing. We need to make money, to explore, to have fun,
to live! But those of us working on the streets face a double
fear: raving lunatics and the police. They are supposed to
protect us, but instead the police harass us and throw us
in jail! There's something very wrong here. Not only are we
20 times more likely to be victims of violence than other
women, we are also relentlessly targeted by police. Who will
be next? Migrant dancers? Those working in massage parlours
or on the web? Escorts? It's coming!
In other
countries sex workers are also facing increased repression.
And everywhere, we are demanding respect of our fundamental
rights and we fight for decriminalization.
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Peace
& Positive Energy
05-12-16
A personal entry
for today as it has been a bit of an unusual day so far. We received
a heavy snowfall - some 45 centimetres! I had an appointment to
go to. I took the Metro since the streets were not yet cleared,
much less the sidewalks. I walked through Parc Square Saint Louis
and along Prince Arthur to get to where I needed to me. It was really
lovely. I like experiencing the city car-free. It is so much more
peaceful, pleasant, and efficient. Long live public transportation!
Tomorrow I will
be attending the vigil and march for the International Day to End
Violence Against Sex Workers. We will be walking down Ste-Catherine
street with our red umbrellas handing out pamphlets from the Coalition
for the Rights of Sex Workers and from Stella.
I think it will be a nice day for it. I love being surrounded by
fellow sex workers. There is this powerful energy, one of wisdom,
hope, and determination. Tomorrow night I will post some photos
from the march.
Stay tuned for
a special video entry featuring an interview with my friend LJ about
the day and ways of addressing violence against sex workers. We
got together last night to shoot it. I blame spending time with
her for my positive mood today (that and the winter wonderland).
The interview is a bit longer than I had planned it to be, but that
is only due to all the informative and insightful things LJ had
to say.
March of
the Red Umbrellas
05-12-17
Unfortunately,
I was not able to make it to the march. Early this morning I came
down with a stomach virus. I have spent the afternoon nursing some
ginger ale and eating some crackers. However, my friends did send
me some photos from the Montreal event.
You can view
the pamphlet that was handed out here.
And here are
photos from the action that was held by a sex worker rights group
in Hong Kong.
You can read
the document they circulated here.
Website Feature
& Videocast
05-12-19
This entry is
a two for one special. I am going to plug one of my own websites
and share with you a videocast of an interview I did with my friend
LJ from the Coalition
for the Rights of Sex Workers. We chatted about the third annual
International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, its history,
what we have done in Montreal for that day, and ways in which we
can address the violence. This is the first part of the interview.
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