From the Network of Sex Workers Women from Latin America and the Caribbean, we repudiate the repressive attitude of the police persecution of Colombia against sex workers women in that country.
After the scandal where men of the security forces of President Obama were protagonists during the Summit of the Americas for refusing to pay sex workers women they had hired, stalking similar to old “witch hunts” was started.
From the spread of the incident, Colombian police began a literal persecution of the 21 women sex workers women hired. Handing list, by name, the security force (we would have to ask “who runs security for?”) goes through bars and nightclubs in search of these workers women.
The reason? It does not exist. Does the apology to sex workers for non-payment of their services? Nor. Any explanation on why they are looked for? Less.
Many voices that have analyzed what happened have dangerously confused sex work with trafficking. They have endangered axis in the safety of President Obama. They have fallen into making false moralizing statements against sex work or implying that sex workers women could be linked to terrorists or drug traffickers and used this knowledge to blackmail Obama’s men.
From RedTraSex we not want to deviate focus of real debate, and we take this opportunity to denounce and avoid simplistic moralizing. What should be questioned under any circumstances is not sex work, but how the presence of armed actors may violate the rights of sex workers women. The persecution of our fellows criminalizes our work and immerses it in the saddest and hardest illegality when those who should be judged by society and by the relevant authorities are those who refuse to acknowledge their faults.
We work every day against violence against sex workers women. So we say “Enough” to violations of our rights.
With arms raised, we will continue our fight, awaiting the day when the security forces protect violated people’s rights and stop being guardians of impunity, abuse and discrimination.
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