On Dec. 17, the Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, sex worker rights and social justice organizations in over 60 cities across the United States and world are staging marches, protests, and public events to call attention to violence committed against sex workers.
In Chicago, Sex Workers Outreach Project-Chicago is organizing a march against violence and a vigil and celebration of resilience. The march will begin at 5:30 at the north Entrance of Harold Washington Library and proceed north along State street. The vigil will begin at 7:00 pm at Jane Addams Hull House, 800 S. Halsted.
The Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was originally organized by the Sex Workers Outreach Project in 2003, in the wake of Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer's conviction. Ridgeway admitted to killing over 70 sex workers and homeless youth and said "I hate most prostitutes and I did not want to pay them for sex ... I also picked prostitutes as victims because they were easy to pick up without being noticed. I knew they would not be reported missing right away and might never be reported missing. I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught."
Ridgeway is not unique. Between January and December 10, 2014, more than 35 women in the US and 160 women around the world have been violently murdered while engaging in sex work. In October, Darren Vann admitted to murdering 7 sex workers in northeast Indiana. On a daily basis, sex workers in the United States and across the globe face severe repression, stigmatization, marginalization, violence, and human rights abuses. They are often left vulnerable to exploitation and abuse by the police. The impact of stigma and criminalization extend beyond safety and also contributes to a reluctance to seek medical care and other social services, for fear of stigma, mistreatment, risk of arrest, or refusal of services.
"People involved in the sex trade disproportionately experience violence that is part of GLBT violence, criminalization of women of color and police violence against women of color," SWOP board member Katherine Koster said. 23% of GLBT homicides recorded in the 2012 Anti-Violence Project report were connected to sex work. In the last 10 years, the Chicago Police Department has made over 39,046 prostitution arrests, and according to a 2004 study, at least 1 instance of a sex worker engaging in coerced sexual contact with a police officer exists for for every arrest.
"The victimization of sex workers really is is a human rights issue, a women's rights issue, a GLBT rights issue, and a police misconduct issue. Events on December 17th serve as a reminder that sex worker lives matter and that all lives matter," Koster said
Information about Chicago Dec. 17 events can be found at:
www.swop-chicago.org .
Information about Dec, 17 and worldwide events can be found at: www.december17.org .
