Resources for Sex Workers

Strong movements are made of strong organisations and activists, working together. We want to see our grantees grow their capacities, skills, leadership and partnerships for change and to feel supported on this journey. We do not only support them financially but also share knowledge and networking opportunities. Where relevant and desired, we contribute to the visibility of our grantees by publishing about their work.

To accompany our grantmaking, we have gathered an extensive catalogue of resources for sex workers including key publications to introduce them to sex workers’ rights funding, sex worker-led networks, funders for sex workers, allied organisations, participatory grantmaking, as well as resources and initiatives for COVID-19.

Publications

Sex worker-led organisations that want to learn more about Red Umbrella Fund, sex workers’ rights, and participatory grant making can begin with the following materials:

Amplify Change

A world of practical guidance to learn how to: manage during a health crisis, strengthening your organisation, develop advocacy skills.

For more resources for sex workers, visit our publications page which is regularly updated with new materials.

Sex Worker-Led Networks

Sex worker-led networks regularly publish documents that can support your work:

African Sex Worker Alliance (ASWA) is a sex worker-led African regional network that was created in 2009 and is based in Nairobi, Kenya. ASWA has more than 70 sex worker-led organisations as members in 33 African countries. The network amplifies the voices of their sex worker members and advocates for the health and human rights of the diverse community of sex workers working and living in Africa.

This regional network
Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW) has 32 active organisational members in 23 countries that work together to promote the human rights of sex workers of all genders in Asia and the Pacific. APNSW conducts advocacy with regional intergovernmental bodies and the United Nations. The network provides training and technical support to its members on human rights, and quality HIV and health services, sets up sex worker-led legal services, and develops advocacy strategies.

The European Network for the Promotion of Rights and Health among Migrant Sex Workers (TAMPEP) promotes the human rights of migrant sex workers at local, national and regional levels in Europe. To support its advocacy, the network documents and shares the stories, good practices and needs of its members, develops position papers, and supports sex workers’ presence in key advocacy spaces. TAMPEP actively reaches out to other migrants’ rights organisations to build alliances and collaborate for migrants’ rights in Europe.

European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA) was formerly known as International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE). This sex worker-led network has a membership of 105 organisations across 35 countries of Europe and Central Asia. At national level, ICRSE supports sex workers’ self organisation though trainings, development of activities or strategic plan as well as submission to governmental consultations. At European level, ICRSE coordinates advocacy and campaigns and has been very active in building alliances with key European civil society networks across movements, and especially with migrants and LGBTI+ organisations.

Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) exists to uphold the voice of sex workers globally and connect regional networks advocating for the rights of female, male, and transgender sex workers. NSWP is a membership organisation – members are local, national, or regional sex worker-led organisations across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Northa America and the Caribbean. Their languages include English, Spanish, Russian, French, and simplified Chinese.

Red de Mujeres Trabajadoras Sexuales de América Latina y El Caribe (REDTRASEX) [The Network of Women Sex Workers of Latin America and the Caribbean] was born in 1997. RedTraSex is made up of organizations of women sex workers and/or former sex workers. The network is made up of organizations from 14 countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Mexico). Their communication language is Spanish.

Sex Workers’ Advocacy Network (SWAN) unites sex worker-led organisations and their allies in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The network works to create societies where sex work is decriminalised and empowered sex workers can live free from violence, stigma and discrimination. SWAN provides capacity building to sex worker-led groups to advocate for their rights, support community mobilisation efforts and provides a space for its members to share resources and experiences.

Other regional networks include Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC), Coalition Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre pour le travail du sexe (CAFOC-TS), and Plataforma Latinoamericana de Personas que Ejercen Trabajo Sexual (PLAPERTS). To learn more about other regional networks, visit our list of grantee-partners.

For a list of resources from sex worker-led organisations, visit our publications page which is regularly updated.

Participatory Grantmaking

Participatory Grantmaking is a system of funding that keeps the community served by the fund in control of grantmaking decisions. This includes setting funding priorities, budgeting decisions, selecting grant recipients, choosing the size of each grant, and guiding the grant administration practices.

For an introduction to Red Umbrella Fund’s participatory grantmaking, you can learn from our former Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) members Peninah Mwangi and Minverva Valenzuela, and as well as International Steering Committee (ISC) members  John Mathenge, Pontso Mafethe, Anne Gathumbi and Miriam Edwards.

To learn more about participatory grantmaking, visit our publications page which is regularly updated.

Allied Organizations

To learn more about allied organisations that collaborate with Red Umbrella Fund and support sex worker-led organisations in other ways, visit our organisations page.