On March 1st, RedTraSex new team formally started working under the project «Sex Workers of Latin America and the Caribbean, working to create alternatives to reduce their vulnerability to HIV: a regional strategy for a real impact.»
The project, with support from the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, aims to work in three big areas: strengthening and organizational development of the network and its fifteen national organizations of female sex workers, improving environment and context in those fifteen countries by improving the regulatory and legislative framework and providing legal support, and finally, working with professionals and health centers to be more friendly and make the best practices when attending female sex workers.
Close to reach its 15 years, RedTraSex has achieved—for the first time ever— that the Global Fund support the work of a regional network of female sex workers. International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be the main receiver, while RedTraSex Executive Secretary will be responsible for implementing all planned activities.
With a great responsibility, Elena Reynaga, Executive Secretary of RedTraSex, said after living a year of intense work and negotiations: «The network has already begun the process of strengthening. Sitting down with key players of the Global Fund Secretariat and members of the International Organization for Migration, as principal recipient, allowed us to demonstrate and prove that we have strength and many capabilities, and that we know how to fight for our dreams».
In a near future, Elena imagines all fellows connected via new communication technologies, «discussing, planning, proposing and making visible our work to influence public policies… coming out the world to reinforce that sex work is not equal to human trafficking».
With this project, said the Executive Secretary, will aim to sensitize and raise the awareness of governments, to improve existing legislation and, where no laws exist, to work for policies to improve labor and human rights as sex workers.
In its second week of work, the technical team of the RedTraSex Secretariat is planning work for the next months that initiates a fundamental part of the project: evaluation of the capabilities of the 15 national organizations, which aims to develop an organizational strengthening plan agreed for organizations and the network.
