Asian Prostitutes' Rights Movement Call for Support

Dear friends:

On behalf of the prostitutes' rights movement groups in Asia, I am writing to beseech your help and support in fighting off the immense pressure that is increasingly hampering our efforts to empower and organize sex workers. These pressures come mainly from those first-world feminists and women's NGOs who have now joined the UN workers and other international organizations in characterizing Asian sex work as nothing but the trafficking of women and thus is to be outlawed and banned completely.

We have read about similar trends in the west and your efforts to resist such over-simplifications in your writings during previous struggles. Now the immense power of western aid, coupled with the third-world states' desire for modernization (that is, putting up fronts of democracy and equality so as to gain aid funds without moving toward social justice), is making it increasingly difficult for sex workers to win legalization or decriminalizatioin. New laws and rulings are instituted to outlaw sex work; condoms are held as evidence of sex work; police harassment and even extortion of sex workers are common. The seemingly righteous discourse of anti-trafficking is becoming ever so strong in this area, interpreting all forms of women's migration toward economic betterment and sex work as mere trafficking.

For those who are working toward decriminalization, the urgent need for a counter discourse is obvious. But we lack the discursive power and the experience of activists such as you. We could also use some international backing to boost the political impact of our efforts to complicate the idea of contemporary sex work. That is why we are writing to ask if you could do the following:

1. Help us forward this call for support to other interested activists, especially those who have done research in the area of sexual migration. We have heard of Gail Pheterson's work but are unable to contact her. There are surely others who are concerned about the same problem.

2. Prostitutes's Rights groups in Hong Kong working with similar groups in India, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand are organizing a series of efforts (dates to be determined based participants' convenience) to combat the prevading concept that Asian women are moving to other countries not because they choose to do so but are forced to go and thus are to be "rescued" and returned to their own countries. Our continuous effort of resistance may include conferences, workshops, panel discussions, and other forms of public forum. If any of you could find the time to come to Asia, we would be most grateful. Please give us some suggestions as to what would be most effective strategies.

The fight for prostitutes' rights is eminent, and we need every bit of support we could get.

Please address all replies to:ziteng@hkstar.com

Thank you very much for your help.
In Camradery,

Josephine Ho
Center for the Study of Sexualities
National Central University, Taiwan