The Philippine Sex Workers Collective is an organisation of current and former sex workers who reject the criminalisation of sex work and the dominant portrayal of sex workers as victims. Based on interviews with leaders of the Collective and fifty other sex workers in Metro Manila, the author argues in this paper that a range of contextual constraints limits the ability of Filipino sex workers to effectively organise and lobby for their rights. For example, the Collective cannot legally register because of the criminalisation of sex work, and this impacts their ability to access funding and recruit members. The structural configuration of the Philippines’ Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking incentivises civil society organisations to adhere to a unified position on sex work as violence against women. The stigma against sex work in a predominantly Catholic country is another constraint. Recently, President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs has been weaponised by some members of the police to harass sex workers. Finally, the author reflects on strategies the Collective could adopt to navigate the limited space they have for representation, such as crucial partnerships, outreach work, and legal remedies.

The Philippine Sex Workers Collective: Struggling to be Heard, not Saved DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

World Migration Report 2018
Publications

The report, the ninth in International Organization for Migration's (IOM) World Migration Report (WMR) series and the first since IOM became the UN Migration Agency, presents current migration issues in a two-part structure. It combines an overarchi...Read More

TAGS: Global
Still in Harm’s Way
Publications

Following the ground-breaking 2016 report Heading Back to Harm, leading charities ECPAT UK and Missing People have revisited the issue using 2017 data to assess what has changed. Still in Harm's Way: An update report on trafficked and unaccompanied ...Read More

TAGS: Europe
Global Solidarity with Communities, Indigenous Peoples and Workers at Risk from Mining Pandemic Profiteers
COVID-19 resourcesPublications

The mining industry is one of the most polluting, deadly, and destructive industries in the world. Yet to date, mining company responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have received little scrutiny compared to other industries seeking to profit from this ...Read More

National Hotline 2016 New York State Report
Publications

The following information is based on incoming communication with the National Human Trafficking Hotline from January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 about human trafficking cases and issues related to human trafficking in New York. ...Read More