Publications & Tools

The Kua ‘ana Project is at the intersection of public health, decriminalization, Indigenous rights, and the rights of trans and gender expansive people as they serve the Pasifika trans women and sex workers in Honolulu. Maddalyn Sesepasara, who leads the project, explains that steady allyship means that organizations like hers have enough funding to support both direct service and advocacy efforts, which are equally important.

In 2020 Inside Philanthropy published an article by leaders at RSF focusing on shifting the power in philanthropy. RSF is a financial services organization that ?has formed a growing community of motivated, values-driven investors, donors, and entrepreneurs. Together, we are committed to transforming an unjust and extractive economy to one that brings healing and regeneration.?

“Human Rights Watch has conducted research on sex work around the world, including in Cambodia, China, Tanzania, the United States, and most recently, South Africa. The research, including extensive consultations with sex workers and organizations that work on the issue, has shaped the Human Rights Watch policy on sex work: Human Rights Watch supports the full decriminalization of consensual adult sex work.”

This guideance note…is practical guidance for addressing the significant unmet needs and vulnerabilities of displaced persons engaging in sex work. It is a starting point. More detailed and comprehensive guidance is warranted and should be developed in the near future; it should be the product of thoughtful consultation and research, a collaborative process in which affected individuals and experts from across humanitarian and non-humanitarian communities participate.

Recent data indicates that, while there has been some progress in reducing new infections among some populations, 62% of new HIV transmissions in 2019 occurred among key populations and their sexual partners. Clearly, key populations continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV.

This 2017 research paper by DemandAT “takes a comprehensive approach to investigating demand and demand-side policies in the context of trafficking. The research includes a strong theoretical and conceptual component through an examination of the concept of demand in trafficking from a historical and economic perspective. Regulatory approaches are studied in policy areas that address demand in illicit markets, in order to develop a better understanding of the impact that the different regulatory approaches can have on demand. Demand-side arguments in different fields of trafficking, as well as demand-side policies of selected countries are examined, in order to provide a better understanding of the available policy options and impacts. Finally, the research also involves in-depth case studies; both of the particular fields in which trafficking occurs (domestic work, prostitution, the globalised production of goods) and of particular policy approaches (law enforcement and campaigns). The overall goal is to develop a better understanding of demand and demand-factors in the context of designing measures and policies addressing all forms of trafficking in human beings.”