#sexwork — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #sexwork, aggregated by home.social.
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> Our work, Our lives.
— KISWA 🇰🇪
> ❤️ Sex Workers' Pride — Our Bodies. Our Choices. Our Voices.
> Today, 14 September 2026, we celebrate Sex Workers' Pride and stand in solidarity with sex workers everywhere.
> Sex workers deserve dignity, safety, health, justice, freedom, and self-determination. Every person should have the right to make decisions about their own body and their own life without stigma, discrimination, violence, or exclusion.
> 🌈 Our bodies. Our choices. ✊🏿 Our voices. Our power. ❤️ Our rights. Our future.
> Sex workers belong in every conversation about bodily autonomy, human rights, health, safety, equality, and justice.
> Today, we honour the courage and resilience of sex workers, including queer sex workers, refugee sex workers, migrant sex workers, and sex workers living at the intersection of multiple forms of discrimination.
> Pride in our choices. Power in our voices.— QSWIR 🇰🇪
> #SexWorkersPride #SexWorkersRights #SexWorkIsWork #OurBodiesOurChoices #SexWorkerVoices #Dignity #Safety #Health #Justice #Freedom #SelfDetermination
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[These two published AIgen images, sadly… So, I'm not sharing those, just the text. :/]
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #KISWA #QSWIR #Kenya
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«Reclaiming Dignity from the Margins: Maya Angelou and Sex Worker Pride Day»
— APNSW 🌏
[Sharing this one below verbatim (Ion particular, no >quotes). :3]
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The life of renowned poet, author, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou stands as an enduring testament to human resilience and unyielding dignity. Yet, central to her lived experience was a chapter often met with societal reluctance: as a young single mother navigating severe systemic adversity, she engaged in sex work to support herself and her child. Rather than concealing this history, Angelou addressed it with profound honesty in her 1974 autobiography, Gather Together in My Name.
Celebrated globally each year on September 14, Sex Worker Pride Day serves as an intentional space to dismantle stigma and affirm agency, labor rights, and community solidarity. Angelou's openness regarding her past continues to offer transformative contributions to public discourse and human rights advocacy:1) Dismantling Stigma and Reclaiming Agency
By speaking openly without shame, Angelou fundamentally disrupted the notion that engaging in sex work diminishes a person's worth, intellect, or humanity. Her legacy demonstrates that one's occupation does not negate personal dignity, offering an empowering counter-narrative for sex workers worldwide.2) Enriching Empathy and Literary Depth
Experiencing life from the margins deepened Angelou's insight into human vulnerability and perseverance. This intimate understanding of economic survival enriched her literary masterpieces, allowing her to articulate the struggles of marginalized communities with unparalleled empathy and authenticity.3) Strengthening Movements for Justice and Labor Rights
Angelou's first-hand encounter with socioeconomic vulnerability reinforced her lifelong commitment to racial equality, gender justice, and worker dignity. Her journey underscores the core principle that "sex work is work", a reality demanding basic human rights protections, fair treatment, and freedom from systemic discrimination.Angelou's journey serves as a powerful reminder that past survival choices cannot limit a person's future, leadership, or capacity for greatness. On Sex Worker Pride Day, the movement celebrates autonomy, resilience, and the inherent dignity that every human being deserves. Justice and human dignity must belong to everyone.
On this Sex Worker Pride Day, let us look beyond stigma and prejudice to recognize and stand in solidarity with sex workers' labor rights, safety, and self-determination. Together, we can foster an equitable world free from fear by sharing compassionate voices and building understanding within our communities.#SexWorkerPride #SexWorkIsWork #HumanRights #DignityAndRespect
References:
1. Angelou, Maya. (1974). Gather Together in My Name. Random House.
2. Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP). Sex Worker Pride.
3. Lupton, Mary Jane. (1998). Maya Angelou: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press.
4. Amnesty International. (2016). Policy on State Obligations to Respect, Protect and Fulfil the Human Rights of Sex Workers.-
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #APNSW #AsiaPacific #Memory
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«Reclaiming Dignity from the Margins: Maya Angelou and Sex Worker Pride Day»
— APNSW 🌏
[Sharing this one below verbatim (Ion particular, no >quotes). :3]
-
The life of renowned poet, author, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou stands as an enduring testament to human resilience and unyielding dignity. Yet, central to her lived experience was a chapter often met with societal reluctance: as a young single mother navigating severe systemic adversity, she engaged in sex work to support herself and her child. Rather than concealing this history, Angelou addressed it with profound honesty in her 1974 autobiography, Gather Together in My Name.
Celebrated globally each year on September 14, Sex Worker Pride Day serves as an intentional space to dismantle stigma and affirm agency, labor rights, and community solidarity. Angelou's openness regarding her past continues to offer transformative contributions to public discourse and human rights advocacy:1) Dismantling Stigma and Reclaiming Agency
By speaking openly without shame, Angelou fundamentally disrupted the notion that engaging in sex work diminishes a person's worth, intellect, or humanity. Her legacy demonstrates that one's occupation does not negate personal dignity, offering an empowering counter-narrative for sex workers worldwide.2) Enriching Empathy and Literary Depth
Experiencing life from the margins deepened Angelou's insight into human vulnerability and perseverance. This intimate understanding of economic survival enriched her literary masterpieces, allowing her to articulate the struggles of marginalized communities with unparalleled empathy and authenticity.3) Strengthening Movements for Justice and Labor Rights
Angelou's first-hand encounter with socioeconomic vulnerability reinforced her lifelong commitment to racial equality, gender justice, and worker dignity. Her journey underscores the core principle that "sex work is work", a reality demanding basic human rights protections, fair treatment, and freedom from systemic discrimination.Angelou's journey serves as a powerful reminder that past survival choices cannot limit a person's future, leadership, or capacity for greatness. On Sex Worker Pride Day, the movement celebrates autonomy, resilience, and the inherent dignity that every human being deserves. Justice and human dignity must belong to everyone.
On this Sex Worker Pride Day, let us look beyond stigma and prejudice to recognize and stand in solidarity with sex workers' labor rights, safety, and self-determination. Together, we can foster an equitable world free from fear by sharing compassionate voices and building understanding within our communities.#SexWorkerPride #SexWorkIsWork #HumanRights #DignityAndRespect
References:
1. Angelou, Maya. (1974). Gather Together in My Name. Random House.
2. Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP). Sex Worker Pride.
3. Lupton, Mary Jane. (1998). Maya Angelou: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press.
4. Amnesty International. (2016). Policy on State Obligations to Respect, Protect and Fulfil the Human Rights of Sex Workers.-
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #APNSW #AsiaPacific #Memory
-
«Reclaiming Dignity from the Margins: Maya Angelou and Sex Worker Pride Day»
— APNSW 🌏
[Sharing this one below verbatim (Ion particular, no >quotes). :3]
-
The life of renowned poet, author, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou stands as an enduring testament to human resilience and unyielding dignity. Yet, central to her lived experience was a chapter often met with societal reluctance: as a young single mother navigating severe systemic adversity, she engaged in sex work to support herself and her child. Rather than concealing this history, Angelou addressed it with profound honesty in her 1974 autobiography, Gather Together in My Name.
Celebrated globally each year on September 14, Sex Worker Pride Day serves as an intentional space to dismantle stigma and affirm agency, labor rights, and community solidarity. Angelou's openness regarding her past continues to offer transformative contributions to public discourse and human rights advocacy:1) Dismantling Stigma and Reclaiming Agency
By speaking openly without shame, Angelou fundamentally disrupted the notion that engaging in sex work diminishes a person's worth, intellect, or humanity. Her legacy demonstrates that one's occupation does not negate personal dignity, offering an empowering counter-narrative for sex workers worldwide.2) Enriching Empathy and Literary Depth
Experiencing life from the margins deepened Angelou's insight into human vulnerability and perseverance. This intimate understanding of economic survival enriched her literary masterpieces, allowing her to articulate the struggles of marginalized communities with unparalleled empathy and authenticity.3) Strengthening Movements for Justice and Labor Rights
Angelou's first-hand encounter with socioeconomic vulnerability reinforced her lifelong commitment to racial equality, gender justice, and worker dignity. Her journey underscores the core principle that "sex work is work", a reality demanding basic human rights protections, fair treatment, and freedom from systemic discrimination.Angelou's journey serves as a powerful reminder that past survival choices cannot limit a person's future, leadership, or capacity for greatness. On Sex Worker Pride Day, the movement celebrates autonomy, resilience, and the inherent dignity that every human being deserves. Justice and human dignity must belong to everyone.
On this Sex Worker Pride Day, let us look beyond stigma and prejudice to recognize and stand in solidarity with sex workers' labor rights, safety, and self-determination. Together, we can foster an equitable world free from fear by sharing compassionate voices and building understanding within our communities.#SexWorkerPride #SexWorkIsWork #HumanRights #DignityAndRespect
References:
1. Angelou, Maya. (1974). Gather Together in My Name. Random House.
2. Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP). Sex Worker Pride.
3. Lupton, Mary Jane. (1998). Maya Angelou: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press.
4. Amnesty International. (2016). Policy on State Obligations to Respect, Protect and Fulfil the Human Rights of Sex Workers.-
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #APNSW #AsiaPacific #Memory
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Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/15/kash-patel-fbi-hiring-policy-bestialityWho is Kash Patel making this rule-change for? I get the awful impression he has a friend who he's aware is into bestiality, and he's doing them a favour to help them land a nepo-job.
This announcement indicates some things are seriously out-of-whack for Kash Patel:
- His methods of "networking" show no regard for the standard of candidates for jobs of national security.
- Kash Patel referred to people who do bestiality as victims. Animals are the victims. He's doing DARVO.
- Kash Patel is conflating bestiality and sex work. It should be obvious to him that bestiality is nothing like sex work.
Sex work is a type of work.
Bestiality is a type of animal abuse.
Sex work isn't a crime.
Bestiality is a crime.
People who do sex work deserve all the usual worker's rights.
People who do bestiality deserve moral condemnation and jail-time. -
Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/15/kash-patel-fbi-hiring-policy-bestialityWho is Kash Patel making this rule-change for? I get the awful impression he has a friend who he's aware is into bestiality, and he's doing them a favour to help them land a nepo-job.
This announcement indicates some things are seriously out-of-whack for Kash Patel:
- His methods of "networking" show no regard for the standard of candidates for jobs of national security.
- Kash Patel referred to people who do bestiality as victims. Animals are the victims. He's doing DARVO.
- Kash Patel is conflating bestiality and sex work. It should be obvious to him that bestiality is nothing like sex work.
Sex work is a type of work.
Bestiality is a type of animal abuse.
Sex work isn't a crime.
Bestiality is a crime.
People who do sex work deserve all the usual worker's rights.
People who do bestiality deserve moral condemnation and jail-time. -
Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/15/kash-patel-fbi-hiring-policy-bestialityWho is Kash Patel making this rule-change for? I get the awful impression he has a friend who he's aware is into bestiality, and he's doing them a favour to help them land a nepo-job.
This announcement indicates some things are seriously out-of-whack for Kash Patel:
- His methods of "networking" show no regard for the standard of candidates for jobs of national security.
- Kash Patel referred to people who do bestiality as victims. Animals are the victims. He's doing DARVO.
- Kash Patel is conflating bestiality and sex work. It should be obvious to him that bestiality is nothing like sex work.
Sex work is a type of work.
Bestiality is a type of animal abuse.
Sex work isn't a crime.
Bestiality is a crime.
People who do sex work deserve all the usual worker's rights.
People who do bestiality deserve moral condemnation and jail-time. -
Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/15/kash-patel-fbi-hiring-policy-bestialityWho is Kash Patel making this rule-change for? I get the awful impression he has a friend who he's aware is into bestiality, and he's doing them a favour to help them land a nepo-job.
This announcement indicates some things are seriously out-of-whack for Kash Patel:
- His methods of "networking" show no regard for the standard of candidates for jobs of national security.
- Kash Patel referred to people who do bestiality as victims. Animals are the victims. He's doing DARVO.
- Kash Patel is conflating bestiality and sex work. It should be obvious to him that bestiality is nothing like sex work.
Sex work is a type of work.
Bestiality is a type of animal abuse.
Sex work isn't a crime.
Bestiality is a crime.
People who do sex work deserve all the usual worker's rights.
People who do bestiality deserve moral condemnation and jail-time. -
Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/15/kash-patel-fbi-hiring-policy-bestialityWho is Kash Patel making this rule-change for? I get the awful impression he has a friend who he's aware is into bestiality, and he's doing them a favour to help them land a nepo-job.
This announcement indicates some things are seriously out-of-whack for Kash Patel:
- His methods of "networking" show no regard for the standard of candidates for jobs of national security.
- Kash Patel referred to people who do bestiality as victims. Animals are the victims. He's doing DARVO.
- Kash Patel is conflating bestiality and sex work. It should be obvious to him that bestiality is nothing like sex work.
Sex work is a type of work.
Bestiality is a type of animal abuse.
Sex work isn't a crime.
Bestiality is a crime.
People who do sex work deserve all the usual worker's rights.
People who do bestiality deserve moral condemnation and jail-time. -
> Today on Sex Worker Pride Day we celebrate and honor the sex worker community and its vital contributions to the women's rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights ( #SRHR ) movements. 💞 #OurMovementsOurVoices #SRHR4All
— APA 🌏
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> Sex workers have always been part of the fight for equality and rights.
> This Sex Worker Pride Day, we celebrate the contributions the sex workers have made to our movement. We stand for dignity, bodily autonomy, equality and justice for sex workers everywhere.
— IPPF ESEAO 🌏
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> Sex workers have always been part of the fight for equality and rights. This Sex Worker Pride Day, we celebrate the contributions the sex workers have made to our movement.
> Sex worker rights are LGBTIQ rights. Sex worker rights are human rights.
— ILGA Asia 🌏
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#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #APA #IPPFESEAOR #ILGAAsia #AsiaPacific #SWCPride2026
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> Happy Sex Worker Pride Day!
> September 14 is Sex Worker Pride Day. It is an opportunity for us to share our stories of self-determination and the achievements of the sex worker rights movement.
> It highlights the importance of visibility and inclusion within society.
> This is not only a day to celebrate the diversity of sex worker identities and experiences, but it also serves to reinforce the message that we are integral members of the community, and are deserving of recognition, inclusion, respect, and rights.
> By embracing pride in our work and community, we continue to push the boundaries of societal norms, advocating for decriminalisation, safety, and human rights for ALL sex workers.
— Respect Inc 🇦🇺
[Yep, same text in post as in the images. 🤷♀️.]
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #RespectQLD #Australia
-
> Happy Sex Worker Pride Day!
> September 14 is Sex Worker Pride Day. It is an opportunity for us to share our stories of self-determination and the achievements of the sex worker rights movement.
> It highlights the importance of visibility and inclusion within society.
> This is not only a day to celebrate the diversity of sex worker identities and experiences, but it also serves to reinforce the message that we are integral members of the community, and are deserving of recognition, inclusion, respect, and rights.
> By embracing pride in our work and community, we continue to push the boundaries of societal norms, advocating for decriminalisation, safety, and human rights for ALL sex workers.
— Respect Inc 🇦🇺
[Yep, same text in post as in the images. 🤷♀️.]
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #RespectQLD #Australia
-
> Happy Sex Worker Pride Day!
> September 14 is Sex Worker Pride Day. It is an opportunity for us to share our stories of self-determination and the achievements of the sex worker rights movement.
> It highlights the importance of visibility and inclusion within society.
> This is not only a day to celebrate the diversity of sex worker identities and experiences, but it also serves to reinforce the message that we are integral members of the community, and are deserving of recognition, inclusion, respect, and rights.
> By embracing pride in our work and community, we continue to push the boundaries of societal norms, advocating for decriminalisation, safety, and human rights for ALL sex workers.
— Respect Inc 🇦🇺
[Yep, same text in post as in the images. 🤷♀️.]
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #RespectQLD #Australia
-
> Happy Sex Worker Pride Day!
> September 14 is Sex Worker Pride Day. It is an opportunity for us to share our stories of self-determination and the achievements of the sex worker rights movement.
> It highlights the importance of visibility and inclusion within society.
> This is not only a day to celebrate the diversity of sex worker identities and experiences, but it also serves to reinforce the message that we are integral members of the community, and are deserving of recognition, inclusion, respect, and rights.
> By embracing pride in our work and community, we continue to push the boundaries of societal norms, advocating for decriminalisation, safety, and human rights for ALL sex workers.
— Respect Inc 🇦🇺
[Yep, same text in post as in the images. 🤷♀️.]
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #RespectQLD #Australia
-
> Happy Sex Worker Pride Day!
> September 14 is Sex Worker Pride Day. It is an opportunity for us to share our stories of self-determination and the achievements of the sex worker rights movement.
> It highlights the importance of visibility and inclusion within society.
> This is not only a day to celebrate the diversity of sex worker identities and experiences, but it also serves to reinforce the message that we are integral members of the community, and are deserving of recognition, inclusion, respect, and rights.
> By embracing pride in our work and community, we continue to push the boundaries of societal norms, advocating for decriminalisation, safety, and human rights for ALL sex workers.
— Respect Inc 🇦🇺
[Yep, same text in post as in the images. 🤷♀️.]
#SexWork #SWPD #SWPD2026 #SexWorkerPride #RespectQLD #Australia
-
«Decriminalise Our Lives!»
International Women's Day: Shared Vision for Feminism.
Statement by ESWA, EuroNPUD, S.A.F.E. and Equinox Initiative.
[I cannot agree more with it. ❤️🔥😍 💯]
-
‣ Criminalisation should NEVER be the first response to social and healthcare issues!
3 years ago, the 8 March Principles were launched - to provide a new model on how we see justice.
This International Women's Day, we're calling for care over carceralism, on issues including sex work, abortion, harm reduction, racial justice and poverty.
We advocate for a feminism that is rights-based, not punitive.
-
‣ Rights not rescue: sex work is work!
Criminalisation, including the criminalisation of clients, is a massive driver of violence against sex workers.
It drives sex work underground, into more danger and stigma, creates barriers to healthcare, housing, and justice.
The 8 March Principles emphasise that consensual sexual activity between adults should never be a matter for the criminal legal system.
Decriminalisation of sex work prioritises the safety, human and labour rights of sex workers.
-
‣ Criminalisation has never stopped abortions from happening. It only makes them less safe.
Under the 8 March Principles, reproductive and bodily autonomy are recognised as fundamental human rights.
We demand the removal of all punitive barriers to healthcare. When we treat abortion as a crime, we violate the right to health, privacy, and bodily autonomy. It is time for a legal system that trusts individuals to make decisions about their own bodies without the threat of a prison cell.
-
‣ Support, don't punish! Harm reduction saves lives. Criminalisation destroys them.
The “War on Drugs” is a war on all humans. In practice, it disproportionately impacts women, caregivers and communities already marginalised.
The 8 March Principles advocate for a shift from criminalisation to harm reduction. Drug use is a public health issue, not a criminal one. By redirecting resources from policing to community-supported healthcare and safe consumption services, we can transform our societies for the better.
Lived experience is knowledge.
-
‣ Carceralism vs. Racial Justice.
The legal system isn't “neutral”.
It disproportionately targets and penalises Black, Brown and racialised communities.The 8 March Principles remind us that justice cannot be achieved through a system built on systemic bias. We must dismantle the structures of over-policing and invest in safety measures that are led by and for the communities most affected by state violence.
Anti-carceral feminism is essential to realising racial justice.
-
‣ The Shared Vision - Our Demands:
• Decriminalise abortion, sex work, drug use, and activities associated with poverty.
• Redirect resources from the carceral state to community-led safety, health, and housing.
• Adopt the 8 March Principles globally to ensure that human rights, not moral policing, guide our legal systems.
• Center lived experience as expertise: policies are stronger when shaped by the people most affected. Amplify community voices, recognise peer support, and treat people with dignity and autonomy.
-
‣ Poverty is not a crime!
In many places, being poor or homeless is effectively treated as a criminal offense.
Laws targeting activities like loitering or sleeping in public punish people for simply existing.The 8 March Principles state that the criminal law should never be used to address social and economic exclusion.
We cannot jail our way out of poverty, and should never criminalise the means by which the poorest survive.Resources belong in housing and healthcare, not policing and prisons.
-
‣ Further reading:
🌐 S.A.F.E. https://supportingabortions.eu
🌐 EuroNPUD: https://euronpud.net
➕ SisterWUD: https://euronpud.net/project/mobilising-women-who-use-drugs-and-combating-gender-based-violence-gbv/🌐 European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance: https://www.eswalliance.org
🌐 Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice: https://equinox-eu.com
🗄📄 8 March Principles: https://web.archive.org/web/20230311063011/https://icj2.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/8-MARCH-Principles-FINAL-printer-version-1-MARCH-2023.pdf
-
A safer world is possible when we stop using the law to punish and start using it to protect.
When we remove the threat of criminalisation, we create space for autonomy, safety, and dignity for all.
It also makes space for well-being and pleasure: safer choices, informed decisions, and self-determination.‣ LET'S BUILD A FEMINISM THAT LIBERATES EVERYONE, SPECIALLY THE MOST MARGINALISED.
#8M #M8 #IWD #InternationalWomensDay #Europe #ESWA #SAFE #EuroNPUD #EquinoxInitiative #SexWork #HarmReduction #SRHR #Abortion #DrugUse #Decrim #DecrimNow #Decriminalization #Feminisms
-
«Decriminalise Our Lives!»
International Women's Day: Shared Vision for Feminism.
Statement by ESWA, EuroNPUD, S.A.F.E. and Equinox Initiative.
[I cannot agree more with it. ❤️🔥😍 💯]
-
‣ Criminalisation should NEVER be the first response to social and healthcare issues!
3 years ago, the 8 March Principles were launched - to provide a new model on how we see justice.
This International Women's Day, we're calling for care over carceralism, on issues including sex work, abortion, harm reduction, racial justice and poverty.
We advocate for a feminism that is rights-based, not punitive.
-
‣ Rights not rescue: sex work is work!
Criminalisation, including the criminalisation of clients, is a massive driver of violence against sex workers.
It drives sex work underground, into more danger and stigma, creates barriers to healthcare, housing, and justice.
The 8 March Principles emphasise that consensual sexual activity between adults should never be a matter for the criminal legal system.
Decriminalisation of sex work prioritises the safety, human and labour rights of sex workers.
-
‣ Criminalisation has never stopped abortions from happening. It only makes them less safe.
Under the 8 March Principles, reproductive and bodily autonomy are recognised as fundamental human rights.
We demand the removal of all punitive barriers to healthcare. When we treat abortion as a crime, we violate the right to health, privacy, and bodily autonomy. It is time for a legal system that trusts individuals to make decisions about their own bodies without the threat of a prison cell.
-
‣ Support, don't punish! Harm reduction saves lives. Criminalisation destroys them.
The “War on Drugs” is a war on all humans. In practice, it disproportionately impacts women, caregivers and communities already marginalised.
The 8 March Principles advocate for a shift from criminalisation to harm reduction. Drug use is a public health issue, not a criminal one. By redirecting resources from policing to community-supported healthcare and safe consumption services, we can transform our societies for the better.
Lived experience is knowledge.
-
‣ Carceralism vs. Racial Justice.
The legal system isn't “neutral”.
It disproportionately targets and penalises Black, Brown and racialised communities.The 8 March Principles remind us that justice cannot be achieved through a system built on systemic bias. We must dismantle the structures of over-policing and invest in safety measures that are led by and for the communities most affected by state violence.
Anti-carceral feminism is essential to realising racial justice.
-
‣ The Shared Vision - Our Demands:
• Decriminalise abortion, sex work, drug use, and activities associated with poverty.
• Redirect resources from the carceral state to community-led safety, health, and housing.
• Adopt the 8 March Principles globally to ensure that human rights, not moral policing, guide our legal systems.
• Center lived experience as expertise: policies are stronger when shaped by the people most affected. Amplify community voices, recognise peer support, and treat people with dignity and autonomy.
-
‣ Poverty is not a crime!
In many places, being poor or homeless is effectively treated as a criminal offense.
Laws targeting activities like loitering or sleeping in public punish people for simply existing.The 8 March Principles state that the criminal law should never be used to address social and economic exclusion.
We cannot jail our way out of poverty, and should never criminalise the means by which the poorest survive.Resources belong in housing and healthcare, not policing and prisons.
-
‣ Further reading:
🌐 S.A.F.E. https://supportingabortions.eu
🌐 EuroNPUD: https://euronpud.net
➕ SisterWUD: https://euronpud.net/project/mobilising-women-who-use-drugs-and-combating-gender-based-violence-gbv/🌐 European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance: https://www.eswalliance.org
🌐 Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice: https://equinox-eu.com
🗄📄 8 March Principles: https://web.archive.org/web/20230311063011/https://icj2.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/8-MARCH-Principles-FINAL-printer-version-1-MARCH-2023.pdf
-
A safer world is possible when we stop using the law to punish and start using it to protect.
When we remove the threat of criminalisation, we create space for autonomy, safety, and dignity for all.
It also makes space for well-being and pleasure: safer choices, informed decisions, and self-determination.‣ LET'S BUILD A FEMINISM THAT LIBERATES EVERYONE, SPECIALLY THE MOST MARGINALISED.
#8M #M8 #IWD #InternationalWomensDay #Europe #ESWA #SAFE #EuroNPUD #EquinoxInitiative #SexWork #HarmReduction #SRHR #Abortion #DrugUse #Decrim #DecrimNow #Decriminalization #Feminisms
-
«Decriminalise Our Lives!»
International Women's Day: Shared Vision for Feminism.
Statement by ESWA, EuroNPUD, S.A.F.E. and Equinox Initiative.
[I cannot agree more with it. ❤️🔥😍 💯]
-
‣ Criminalisation should NEVER be the first response to social and healthcare issues!
3 years ago, the 8 March Principles were launched - to provide a new model on how we see justice.
This International Women's Day, we're calling for care over carceralism, on issues including sex work, abortion, harm reduction, racial justice and poverty.
We advocate for a feminism that is rights-based, not punitive.
-
‣ Rights not rescue: sex work is work!
Criminalisation, including the criminalisation of clients, is a massive driver of violence against sex workers.
It drives sex work underground, into more danger and stigma, creates barriers to healthcare, housing, and justice.
The 8 March Principles emphasise that consensual sexual activity between adults should never be a matter for the criminal legal system.
Decriminalisation of sex work prioritises the safety, human and labour rights of sex workers.
-
‣ Criminalisation has never stopped abortions from happening. It only makes them less safe.
Under the 8 March Principles, reproductive and bodily autonomy are recognised as fundamental human rights.
We demand the removal of all punitive barriers to healthcare. When we treat abortion as a crime, we violate the right to health, privacy, and bodily autonomy. It is time for a legal system that trusts individuals to make decisions about their own bodies without the threat of a prison cell.
-
‣ Support, don't punish! Harm reduction saves lives. Criminalisation destroys them.
The “War on Drugs” is a war on all humans. In practice, it disproportionately impacts women, caregivers and communities already marginalised.
The 8 March Principles advocate for a shift from criminalisation to harm reduction. Drug use is a public health issue, not a criminal one. By redirecting resources from policing to community-supported healthcare and safe consumption services, we can transform our societies for the better.
Lived experience is knowledge.
-
‣ Carceralism vs. Racial Justice.
The legal system isn't “neutral”.
It disproportionately targets and penalises Black, Brown and racialised communities.The 8 March Principles remind us that justice cannot be achieved through a system built on systemic bias. We must dismantle the structures of over-policing and invest in safety measures that are led by and for the communities most affected by state violence.
Anti-carceral feminism is essential to realising racial justice.
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‣ The Shared Vision - Our Demands:
• Decriminalise abortion, sex work, drug use, and activities associated with poverty.
• Redirect resources from the carceral state to community-led safety, health, and housing.
• Adopt the 8 March Principles globally to ensure that human rights, not moral policing, guide our legal systems.
• Center lived experience as expertise: policies are stronger when shaped by the people most affected. Amplify community voices, recognise peer support, and treat people with dignity and autonomy.
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‣ Poverty is not a crime!
In many places, being poor or homeless is effectively treated as a criminal offense.
Laws targeting activities like loitering or sleeping in public punish people for simply existing.The 8 March Principles state that the criminal law should never be used to address social and economic exclusion.
We cannot jail our way out of poverty, and should never criminalise the means by which the poorest survive.Resources belong in housing and healthcare, not policing and prisons.
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‣ Further reading:
🌐 S.A.F.E. https://supportingabortions.eu
🌐 EuroNPUD: https://euronpud.net
➕ SisterWUD: https://euronpud.net/project/mobilising-women-who-use-drugs-and-combating-gender-based-violence-gbv/🌐 European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance: https://www.eswalliance.org
🌐 Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice: https://equinox-eu.com
🗄📄 8 March Principles: https://web.archive.org/web/20230311063011/https://icj2.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/8-MARCH-Principles-FINAL-printer-version-1-MARCH-2023.pdf
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A safer world is possible when we stop using the law to punish and start using it to protect.
When we remove the threat of criminalisation, we create space for autonomy, safety, and dignity for all.
It also makes space for well-being and pleasure: safer choices, informed decisions, and self-determination.‣ LET'S BUILD A FEMINISM THAT LIBERATES EVERYONE, SPECIALLY THE MOST MARGINALISED.
#8M #M8 #IWD #InternationalWomensDay #Europe #ESWA #SAFE #EuroNPUD #EquinoxInitiative #SexWork #HarmReduction #SRHR #Abortion #DrugUse #Decrim #DecrimNow #Decriminalization #Feminisms