Every year, we, sex workers united in STAR-The First Sex Workers Collective in the Balkans join the the global celebration of 3rd March – The International Sex Workers’ Rights Day and demand social justice and respect for sex workers’ rights in the Republic of North Macedonia and at an international level.
A cornerstone of contemporary human rights is that all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Whatever the reasons, sex workers who engage in sex work voluntarily should be treated with dignity and enjoy the labour rights and have protection in the workplace. However, sex workers are socially excluded in our society, they face strong stigma and discrimination and frequent human rights violations. As a result of absence of the national legal regulation for sex work, the fundamental rights of sex workers are limited, as well as their freedom to live and work as people equal with everyone else in the society.
By marking this important day for the community we want to emphasize the urgent need for decriminalization of sex work in the Republic of North Macedonia, as the best policy for promoting our human, labour and health rights.
As part of this year’s campaign, on the occasion of marking 3 March – The International Sex Workers Rights’ Day and on the occasion of 8 March – International Women’s Day, we are organizing the second charity online auction “Action for Reaction 2” in order to provide direct support for sex workers who are still feeling the effects of the socio-economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
This year, STAR- The First Sex Workers Collective in the Balkans, will hold its Annual Assembly of the members of the Association for 2021, exactly on the day of marking the International Sex Workers’ Rights Day.
As a third activity within the campaign, we will distribute promotional packages and leaflets to promote the social counseling service and support among the sex workers in order to exercise our social rights and increase access to social protection.
International Sex Workers’ Rights Day began in 2001 when over 25,000 sex workers gathered in India for a festival organized by a Calcutta-based group called Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (Unstoppable Women’s Synthesis Committee). In 2002, Durbar invited organizations from around the world to join them in commemorating Sex Workers’ Rights Day on 3 March.