News
Kenyan Sex Workers Take to the Streets on the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
On December 17, 2010, more than 500 Kenyan sex workers took to the streets in Nairobi to demand their rights as Kenyan citizens on the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers. This event was the first of its kind in Kenya. The full day of activities included a press conference; testimonies by sex workers who have experienced violence; film screenings, poetry, dance, theater, and spoken word performances; and a candlelight vigil to commemorate sex workers who have been victims of violence.
According to Anne Gathumbi, who participated on behalf of the Open Society Foundations, “just watching the hundreds of red umbrellas take over some of the busiest parts of the city was powerful” and felt like a “new beginning in the movement of sex worker rights. Sex workers have come out to stake a claim to their rightful place in the human rights movement."
Similar events were also hosted in Tanzania and Uganda. More information about these activities– and other events held around the world to mark the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers– is available at http://www.sexworkeurope.org/
