Elena Reynaga, RedTraSex Executive Secretary and founder of A.M.M.A.R., was invited as a speaker at the conference organized by the Public Defender of the City of Buenos Aires.

There were worktables on 6 and 7 of December. After the exposures of different personalities, they worked on commissions to develop specific proposals for claiming the State for policies addressing the demands and needs of female sex workers and of women who consider themselves in prostitution situation.

«We believe it is very important to be present in these debate spaces, and discuss these issues and the possibilities of petitioning to the government of the Buenos Aires City the implementation of public policies that address our requests for accessing to a better quality of life», held the A.M.M.A.R. fellows.

Together with Elena Reynaga, in the expositors table were the activists Graciela Collantes, Lohana Berkins, Claudia Brizuela and Marcela Romero. Among the legislators present were Laura García Tuñón, María Elena Naddeo, María José Lubertino and Carola Saricas of the Program “Victims against violence”.

The social referents reached consensus that despite the differences in the definitions relating to sex work, is a priority combat violations of the rights of those engaged in this activity, declaring themselves against the persecution, police harassment, corruption, police and medical records and direct and/or indirect criminalization.

Among the debates, it was addressed the importance of the derogation of Article 81 that criminalize those who offer sexual services in public. We worked on the need for a support program from the Ministry of Human Rights of the Ombudsman of the Buenos Aires City Government, where to denounce rights violations suffered daily by our fellows.

«For the organization is extremely important to open doors for dialogue, to be listened and that we can pose our issues in first person. Now governments must give an answer, I hope that it is not just a meeting and that everything we worked along this two days will result in policies that ensure the respect of our rights as workers we are», remarked Elena after the meeting.

From February 2013 we will retake worktables to address these issues. The commitment to participate and work for change is accepted by everyone involved, it is a good way to end the year.