Promoting the rights of sex workers in FYR Macedonia

In FYR Macedonia, as throughout the world, sex workers are pushed to the margins of society by a combination of prejudice, discrimination, and violence. Healthy Options Project Skopje (HOPS) works to promote the rights of sex workers with the basic premise that the selling of sexual services does not justify denial of fundamental rights, to which all human beings are entitled.

Sex workers inhabit a particularly vulnerable position in Macedonian society, facing harassment and violence not only from their paying partners and pimps, but also from law enforcement officials and other authorities. These abuses include physical violence, illegal detention, compulsory testing, sexual exploitation, and rape, which are compounded by the substandard enforcement of law and lack of access to health services. Adding to these challenges are the risks of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmittable infections, drug addiction, a hostile public attitude, and mass-media harassment.

Since 1996, HOPS has run outreach and advocacy programs with sex workers and drug users, promoting safer behavior and enabling access to legal, health and social services, as well as resocialization and reintegration of drug users, sex workers and their families.

In January 2009 WITNESS conducted a core partnership video advocacy training with HOPS. The week-long training aimed at increasing HOPS’ video production capacity, in particular learning how to film concealed identity interviews. A recap of the training as well as daily summaries of activities are available on the Hub as part of the WITNESS Partnership in Action series.

The video advocacy campaign will target law enforcement officials to reduce the number of violent incidents committed by police officers themselves, and to increase adequate response by the police when violence against sex workers is committed by a third party. In addition, we will reach out to NGOs and human rights groups, media, students, and internet users to promote the recognition of sex workers rights as human rights and zero tolerance for violence against them. We expect the video to be finalized by fall 2009.

For more information on this partnership, contact Violeta Krasnic, Program Coordinator for Europe and Central Asia.