{"id":1272,"date":"2020-03-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scarletalliance.org.au\/2020\/03\/26\/news_item-2020-03-27-4120\/"},"modified":"2022-08-31T13:38:47","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T03:38:47","slug":"news_item-2020-03-27-4120","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scarletalliance.org.au\/news_item-2020-03-27-4120\/","title":{"rendered":"Policing is not a public health strategy: Emergency funds for sex workers needed"},"content":{"rendered":"
Joint Statement from Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association; Respect Inc, QLD; SIN, SA; SWEAR, WA; SWOP ACT; SWOP NT; SWOP NSW; VIXEN Collective, VIC:- Scarlet Alliance, the peak body representing sex workers and sex worker organisations in Australia, stand with our state and territory member organisations in our condemnation of the use of police powers and fines on individual sex workers, as has occurred in NSW last night. Criminalisation is not an acceptable or productive strategy in stopping the spread of COVID-19; in fact it is counter-productive. This is an unacceptable strategy particularly in the absence of income support for sex workers.<\/span> <\/p>\n Police targeting and fining of individual sex workers who are already vulnerable after significant loss of income serves only to increase our financial need. This does nothing to promote the public health measures that are currently in place, and instead serves to punish those who have already been left behind by Federal income relief measures. Re-criminalising sex workers in the name of COVID-19 leaves these sex workers in the very difficult position of having to balance potential criminality and fines against the prospect of no income and no access to financial relief. <\/p>\n SWOP NSW CEO Cameron Cox says, “Sex workers are already aware of the importance of social distancing and other necessary measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission but we cannot be placed in a position where we have to choose between being fined and criminalised or having our families and ourselves be homeless and hungry.”<\/p>\n Sex workers themselves are the industry’s key stakeholders and the experts in their own field which is sex work. Sex workers understand the risks of COVID-19 transmission and the need for social distancing. Many sex workers have moved to non-contact forms of sex work and are staying up to date with information about preventing transmission. <\/p>\n It is clear that sex workers are able to adapt, and this has been continually demonstrated in the sustained low rates of HIV and STIs among sex workers across each of the jurisdictions in Australia. The partnership approach between communities and government has been critical to the successful public health response to blood borne viruses and STIs in Australia.<\/p>\n “It would be advantageous to the control of COVID-19 if the government was willing to work in partnership with sex worker organisations, rather than to implement criminalistion and penalties” states Scarlet Alliance CEO Jules Kim. “Scarlet Alliance and our member organisations are trusted community health organisations that have a long track record of delivering on health promotion within and for our communities.”<\/p>\n