We invite you to read the document entitled «10 reasons for the sex workers to talk about sexual and reproductive rights».

This is the first of four publications through which, from RedTraSex, we show our views on very relevant issues to the struggle for acceptance of sex work as work and the recognition of our rights.

Sexual and reproductive rights are part of the human rights and express the possibility, for every person, to make autonomous decisions regarding our own body and life in the fields of sexuality and reproduction. They implicate the capacity to enjoy sexuality, the right to have consentuous sex, the absence of all kinds of violence, coercion or abuse, the access to quality health care services, the possibility to separate the exercise of the sexuality from reproduction, and to have access to adequate information about our body and all aspects involved with sexuality.

One of the human rights is the right of authority over our own bodies and making autonomous decisions about sexuality without violence, coercion or any kind of discrimination.

Despite SEX WORKERS, being women, found ourselves protected and sheltered by this wide range of rights, many times we are considered “impelled” to decide about ourselves and don’t have access to basic services (such as health care) or we face so much stigma as we face discrimination.

This is why sex workers ask ourselves who are the people that can decide freely, when our decision to be sex workers is plagued with prejudice, pre-concepts and stigma. What about quality health care, when we are pointed out and discriminated against when we try to get medical attention? Why other people control the exercise of our sexuality? Do they know what the consequences are in our daily life because of the lack of regulation in our job? What is the acknowledgement of our autonomy for the people who think we are confused or lack capacity to choose what we want in our life? Why do they insist in condemning our work to secrecy?

Public policies that include our specific vindications, they do it from stigmatization or just focalizing in our genitals or the possibility to get or pass around STDs.
In RedTraSex we understand how important it is to talk about sexual rights with an integral look, which includes not just consentuous sexual relations but full knowledge of our bodies, emotions and feelings.