ABOUT THE SEX WORKERS PROJECT

What we do

SWP staff and allies carry the banner in the LGBT Pride Parade 2010.

Photo by Maya Paley.

The Sex Workers Project (SWP) provides legal services and legal training, and engages in documentation and policy advocacy, for sex workers. Using a harm reduction and human rights model, we protect the rights and safety of sex workers who by choice, circumstance, or coercion remain in the industry.

The SWP provides critical information to policymakers, activists, and the media on the human rights abuses faced by sex workers and those who are at risk for engaging in sex work. We use documentation-based advocacy, policy analysis, training and education, and collaboration with community-based service providers to advance practical, long-term solutions to the problems faced by this vulnerable and marginalized population. We document the lives of sex workers and put a human face on violations of their human rights.

The SWP works to ensure that the criminal justice system appropriately responds to the needs of sex workers; that victims of trafficking in persons have access to legal and other benefits; and that community-based service providers who work with sex workers have the expertise to assist them. The SWP works in the following areas: criminal justice reform; trafficking in persons; and human rights documentation.