http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-worker-group-in-sweden-rose-alliance-in-the-news
Rose Alliance in Stockholm Pride Parade
A few weeks ago a flurry of Swedish media articles purported to ‘reveal’ that the national development agency, Sida, gives money (3,611,092 euros) to Mama Cash, a Dutch foundation that, among many women’s causes, supports sex workers’ rights and has funded Rose Alliance, a sex-worker group in Sweden. This wasn’t even new news, but some anti-prostitution folks tried to whip up indignation and manufacture a scandal.
The first story appeared on a news site hosted by Sida itself on 4 December. The same day, another article repeated the news, with a headline saying themoney goes to lobbyists for commercial sex. Still on the same day one of Sweden’s delegates to the European Parliament, and a member of the abolitionist European Women’s Lobby, demanded excitedly that Sida stop giving the money (she’s holding up the Say No to Prostitution sign in her photo). The next day saw replies from RFSU (Sweden’s big sex-education organisation) and Louise Persson, defending the financing of groups supporting vulnerable women/prostitutes/sex workers. Then there wasanother piece from the parliamentarian, followed by another on the Sida site. Neither Mama Cash nor Sida made any reply.
At Rose Alliance we decided to write a short statement acknowledging the flurry and, instead of defending or counter-attacking, presenting the basic facts about the organisation on a news site called Newsmill. It got delayed in the pre-Christmas rush and was published 23 December as Vi sexarbetare kan föra vår egen talan. Here is the English version, just as dry and unexcited as the original Swedish.
Sex Workers Can Speak for Ourselves
Annelie Eriksson, Pye Jakobsson and Laura Agustín
Rose Alliance was recently in the news when it was reported at OmVärldenthat Sida gives money to a foundation that has given us two grants. Rose Alliance (Riksorganisationen för sex- och erotikarbetare i Sverige) is an organisation for current and former sex workers in Sweden. We began in 2001 but started expanding about three years ago.
The most important things to know about Rose Alliance are:
We promote economic, labour and individual rights for people of any gender identity who sell sex.
- We recognise that sex workers have a wide variety of experiences and value all of them.
- We believe in the theory and practice of harm reduction.
- We assist and advise each other on legal and self-employment issues and dealing with social and police authorities, on a voluntary basis.
Rose Alliance works on health-promotion projects with HIV-Sweden financed by Smittskyddsinstitutet, and participated in a project funded by the European Commission’s Leonardo da Vinci programme. We are members of the European Harm Reduction Network, an RFSL-coordinated network on male and trans sex work and the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (these do not involve receiving money). Last week we took part in the World Conference of ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) in Stockholm, and we have had our own float in Stockholm Pride for the past two years (video clips here).
We received our first core funding in 2011, from Mama Cash, to strengthen our internal organisation. We now have funding for two more years, which we will use to
- Participate in events held by the International AIDS Society and the International Harm Reduction Association
- Meet together in person a few times a year
- Make our website a better resource for members
- Hold educational workshops for members
- Publish printed resources for both internal and external use
Some Rose Alliance members blog and publish articles as individuals: Greta Svammel, Petite Jasmine, the Naked Anthropologist are examples. Some members receive invitations to visit, speak and consult both inside and outside Sweden. Host organisations reimburse the usual expenses for this travel.
Political lobbying is not our main focus. But for the record, we advocate self-determination and rights for sex workers – the right to sell sex as well as the right to stop selling sex. The law criminalising the purchase of sex aims to deprive sex workers of the right to run their own lives, so we oppose it.
The Swedish and Dutch versions of Liberalism often clash with each other. Compare Pim Fortuyn and Cecilia Malmström. The Dutch fight for their right to party.
oogenhand 