Dublin, Ireland today Tuesday August 11th voted in support
of policy calling for decriminalization of prostitution despite
strong opposition from religious leaders and celebrities.
Amnesty International's secretary-general Salil Shetty in a
statement said,
"This is a historic day for Amnesty International. It was not a
decision that was reached easily or quickly and we thank all
our members from around the world, as well as all the many
groups we consulted, for their important contribution to this
debate.
They have helped us reach an important decision that will
shape this area of our human rights work going forward. Sex
workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the
world who in most instances face constant risk of
discrimination, violence and abuse"
Official Public Statement from Amnesty
International
At its International Council Meeting in Dublin, Ireland,
Amnesty International adopted a resolution outlining
principles that will lead to a new global policy to protect and
uphold the human rights of sex workers .
The principles seek to protect people of all genders who are
involved in the sex trade - and who face deep marginalization
and discrimination in countries around the world - from
violence and other human rights abuses. The resolution
directs Amnesty International's Board to adopt a
policysupporting the full. decriminalization of consensual
adult sex work, while continuing to advocate for full and
effective enforcement of laws and policies to prevent and
redress
violence, trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children.
These principles include the obligation of governments to
protect the human rights of sex workers, including women’s
rights, gender equality, LGBTI rights, children’s rights, the
rights of
Indigenous peoples, non-discrimination, access to justice,
health, security of the person, the right to a livelihood, and
protection from exploitation. The resolution also obliges
states to ensure that laws and policies do not contribute to
further risk to sex workers by calling on states to "review
and repeal laws that make sex workers vulnerable to human
rights violations,
but also refrain from enacting such laws."
The principles also highlight that states have an obligation to
ensure that the economic, social and cultural rights of all
people are upheld so that no one is forced into sex work, or
is unable to leave the sex trade, because of economic
pressure. The resolution recognizes and respects the agency
of sex workers to articulate their own experiences and define
the most appropriate solutions to ensure their own welfare
and safety.
Amnesty International has long expressed concern over the
high levels of violence facing sex workers in Canada,
especially the heightened risks faced by the disproportionate
numbers of Indigenous people in the sex trade. We have
called on government and law enforcement to ensure that
their actions reduce, rather than increase, this risk. The
issue of harm reduction was at the heart of the Supreme
Court decision in the Bedford case which struck down
Canada's previous prostitution laws. This is one of the
issues that Amnesty International will review once a new
global policy is adopted.
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