Elena Reynaga, Executive Secretary of the Network of Female Sex Workers, attended the International AIDS Conference in U.S.A. on behalf of the Network.

The World AIDS Conference, organized by International AIDS Society (IAS), brings together over 30,000 experts in various fields, including researchers, legislators and patients. This is one of the most important spaces for global health and provides a unique opportunity for understanding the fundamental relationship between the protection of human rights and HIV/AIDS detention.

Despite the immigration regulation of the United States that denies a visa to enter the country to any person who engages or has engaged in sex work, the Network of Female Sex Workers in Latin America and the Caribbean came to the Conference to make our voice heard and show our rejection of all forms of criminalization of sex work.

A call to action

Female sex workers from RedTraSex were consulted in 2011 by the World Commission on HIV and the law, and together with female sex workers from other regions of the world, they made recommendations about public policies to improve prevention and treatment programs for sex workers. All of them expressed similar concerns as: funding constraints, the criminalization of sex work, the difficulties in getting an integral health care, the existence of discriminatory laws to repress and punish sex workers, the exclusion of migrant sex workers and the increasing repression of her clients.

From the results of the consultation was organized a debate table held on Sunday July 22 as part of the XIX International AIDS Conference. This debate table was attended by female sex workers and leaders linked to sex work from Africa (Kholi Buthelezi and Sian Maseko), from Sweden (Pye Jacobson), from USA (Melissa Ditmore and Deon Haywood), from the Caribbean (Miriam Edwards) and Elena Reynaga representing the RedTraSex from Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean. The purpose of the table was to present recommendations for policy reforms to improve the prevention and treatment programs for female sex workers.

Elena Reynaga emphasized the similarities between all the exhibitors and remarked that anywhere in the world female sex workers have a common enemy: the police. Given this situation Elena prioritized not deepen a diagnosis of the situation, shared and known by all, but instead chose to talk about projects and dreams. «I think with fighting, nothing is impossible. Empowering female sex workers we can achieve major changes in our lives», and she added: «In Latin America, female sex workers we are underestimated for not going to school or not speaking English (…) in 2010 the Global Fund approved a 12 million and half dollars project to the Network (…) we were able to dream, to develop a proposal for deep change in the region and we won«.

RedTraSex’ Executive Secretary also spoke on the importance of working together with technical and other key stakeholders for change, but stressed the importance of female sex workers have their own voice. «We are who want to scream to the world that we want to be free, we want to be recognized as sex workers«, she said.

During her speech, the referent of the Network of Female Sex Workers in Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean expressed concern about laws against trafficking in persons being promoted by the governments of the region. The risk, as Elena explained, is that the law confuses trafficking with sex work, and that’s why «all the progress we made on human rights is now in a regression«.

Concluding her presentation, Elena noticed about the lack of support that exists for research on human rights abuses where female sex workers are victims. «There are many epidemiological investigations of female sex workers, but none investigation about human rights abuses and unpunished crimes of female sex workers» reported the leader, who called on all networks, governments and stakeholders to work together and make sex work is recognized as work, female sex workers have the place of respect they deserve, implementing projects and influencing public policies to change forever the reality of female sex workers.

To view the full speech, click here.

Regional Session on Latin America

The Executive Secretary of RedTraSex participated as co-president from a session designed to deal with regional issues, an opportunity within the event for representatives of different regions come together as part of the official program.

Dr. Joseph Izazola —Head of National AIDS Program of Mexico—, Lidice López-Tocón —from Observatorio Latino—, the HIV responsible for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the UNAIDS Regional Director for Latin America participated from session. Issues such as financing of governments and civil society challenges were addressed.

Meanwhile Elena Reynaga warned that civil society deserted from politics, that is no longer in the legislatures and ministries to become experts in monitoring and evaluation of Global Fund projects. She called on the present program managers telling them that «civil society is your ally. In many cases has more power to change things that technical ministries. Do not forget that public officials are paid by the taxes of citizens. Funds are public and the instructions are given by a government voted by the people«.

The 7 myths in the journalistic approach about sex work
Representing RedTraSex, Elena was invited as a panelist of the workshop for journalists from Latin America organized by Fundación Huesped together with the Institute of the Americas, from the Latin American Media Initiative on AIDS (IMLAS in Spanish).

Journalists from TV channels in Latin America and Latino media in the United States participated in the activity.

During her presentation, Executive Secretary of RedTraSex presented “The 7 myths in the journalistic approach about sex work” produced by A.M.M.A.R. and RedTraSex. Myths pervade various subjects related to sex work as: consider female sex workers as focus of infection, linking them to crime, considering that it is a humiliating job or that the presence of female sex workers prevents rape, that female sex workers damage neighbors and businesses, that they have to be invisible and that it is urgent and necessary to save them.