December 12, 2008

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers – December 17th

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The International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers is an annual event that occurs on December 17th. This year the national Sex Workers Outreach Project has organized a march in Washington DC. Check out their informative web page for more information. There are also smaller vigils happening in other cities for those who can’t make the trip. Here in NYC, there will be a candlelight vigil from 7 to 8 pm on Wednesday, December 17th in Washington Square Park. The event is co-sponsored by the Sex Workers Outreach Project, Sex Work Awareness, $pread Magazine, and Sex Workers Action New York.

I’m MCing the event and giving a short speech, and there will be a reading of the names of sex workers murdered in the past year.

It’s always a pretty somber and kind of difficult event to be present at, but I do think it’s worth our time and energy to bring attention to the volume of sex workers murdered every year, while also looking forward to a future where less of that happens.

5 Comments on “International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers – December 17th”

1
Melissa Gira Grant
12.12.08
4:44 pm

We’ll be thinking of you here in SF. I’m torn because so many activists I’m close to are going to DC for the national march, but I felt the call to stay home and work it here.

So I’m hosting a vigil at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco for the International Day to End Violence (http://stjamesinfirmary.org/?p=51) — my first time. We chose the Hall of Justice at 5pm to catch the cops at shift change, so the tone will be somber, but charged. The City’s on fire right now politically. (

To the future.

2
Audacia Ray
12.12.08
5:27 pm

I feel torn about the DC March too – guilty for not going, but marches make me really anxious and are just not at all fun for me, so I’m making peace with my decision to stay home and support local folks.

3
People are talking
12.13.08
11:59 am

[...] Ray talks about The International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers on December 17. Go out and support them (and wear [...]

4

[...] York, you can join us in Washington Square Park on Wednesday, December 17th, from 7PM to 8PM for a vigil to end violence against sex workers. Wear red. Go here to find where you can participate in your own [...]

5

[...] Just their husbands. Not the ones who were killed by their boyfriends. Not the ones who were killed by their clients. Not the ones who were killed by their common-law partners. Not the ones who were killed by their [...]

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