Sex Work
CREA believes that sex work is work and that sex worker rights are human rights. CREA believes in all people’s agency to make choices about their occupation, bodies, mobility, and to lead lives free of stigma, discrimination and violence.
Criminialisation of different aspects of sex work results in grave violations of human rights and sexual rights for sex workers creating obstacles for the realisation of labour rights, rights to health, livelihood, and protection from violence. Sex workers anywhere in the world should not be criminalised, no matter what their profession is or how they choose to express their sexuality. CREA allies with, collaborates with and supports sex worker led collectives, unions and groups to demand for full decriminalization of all aspects of consensual sex work and human rights for all people in sex work.
CREA challenges the stigmatisation and exclusion of sex workers in the women rights movements and advances for an intersectional approach to advance sex worker rights. CREA strongly opposes all forms of discrimination, stigma and violence faced by people in sex work.
CREA challenges the conflation of sex work and trafficking. Trafficking takes place for a number of reasons, including for sex work, but sex work is not equivalent to trafficking. CREA does not support victimisation of sex workers and forced rescue and rehabilitation of people who choose sex work as their profession. The rights and entitlements of consenting adults who enter into sex work on their own volition should be recognised and not confused with the rights and needs of people who are forced into sex work and/ or are underage. It is important to note that sex workers recognize that sex trade and trafficking is illegal, and that no one should be forced into sex work. The best way to address human rights abuses of sex workers is through the fulfilment of sex workers human rights and through the opposition to all forms of legal oppression of sex work.
Sex worker collectives, unions and groups lead the sex worker rights movement to demand their right to organise and their right to participate in all decision- making spaces where laws, policies and programs impacting their lives are made. CREA supports and advocates for their participation, leadership and visibility in these spaces and strongly believes in the value of – ‘Nothing about us, without us’.