OSI Supports Projects to Document Human Rights Abuses Against Sex Workers

The Sexual Health and Rights Project (SHARP) and the Law and Health Initiative (LAHI) have launched a coordinated effort to faciliate documentation of human rights abuses against sex workers. Through this joint effort, SHARP and LAHI are providing support to several projects in East Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

While the objectives vary by local context, the ultimate goal of these projects is to ensure quality human rights documentation linked to advocacy that will ultimately improve the health and rights of sex workers. Over the next three to five years, SHARP and LAHI will bring greater visibility to documentation projects and explore opportunities for joint advocacy at international and regional levels.

In addition to providing technical and financial assistance to individual projects, SHARP and LAHI hope to facilitate the sharing of information and resources across projects, the dissemination of best practices, and the development of useful tools with wider applicability.

SHARP and LAHI have provided grants to the following organizations to undertake documentation projects:

• Empower Foundation, on behalf of the Sex Workers Network of Thailand
• Health Options Project Skopje (HOPS), on behalf of the Macedonian Sexual Health and Rights Coalition
• Keeping Alive Society’s Hope, Kenya
• Service Workers in Group (SWING), Thailand
• Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Task Force, South Africa
• Sex Workers' Rights Advocacy Network in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (SWAN)
• Women’s Legal Center, South Africa
• Womyn’s Network for Unity, Cambodia