Welcome to Nothing About Us Without Us for the Sex Industry!

 NAUWU  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Oct 282010
 

 

Be wise, decriminalise! 

The NSW sex industry is currently “decriminalised” which means the sex industry is regarded in the same way as any other business. There are no special laws to regulate the industry as there are in States such as Victoria where the industry is “legalised”. The basis for decriminalisation is equality (1)! In NSW at the moment the sex industry is facing the very real threat of becoming legalised with the threat of stringent regulation being put in place.

NSW sex workers are not taking this threat lightly and we are thrilled to see that the NSW sex industry has allies beyond the sex working community. Many people are writing letters of support to politicians including the latest one we have received from Glyde Health. To see their letter and other letters of support, to find out what you can do and ask others to do, to read more about legalisation versus decriminalisation please check this page….

Be wise decriminalise!

(1) Wotton, Rachel (2006)  Getting on Top of Decriminalisation for the NSW Sex Industry, Presentation by Rachel Wotton, International Spokesperson, Scarlet Alliance, The Australian Sex Worker Association

 

 

 

WELCOME to the online home of NAUWU!

This campaign website was initiated by a dedicated group of New South Wales (NSW) sex workers in October 2009.

Our campaign is designed to address the emerging issues related to the NSW sex industry, especially the lack of consultation at all levels of government, with sex workers and peer sex worker organisations.

Sex workers must be consulted and be included in EVERY meeting, panel, taskforce and roundtable that is formed to discuss the sex industry. No implementation policy, procedure, legal reform or directive should occur without detailed and in depth consultation with sex workers at all stages.

 

Things are changing without sex workers being involved

Things are changing without sex workers knowing what’s happening

Sex workers are the experts on sex work so must be consulted

Sex workers must not be left in the dark….

NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US!

 

 

NOTE: the term Nothing About Us Without Us has been utlisied around the world in numerous forums, community groups, campaigns, organisations and movements. This includes such sectors as: the disability rights movement (1, 2, 3), youth-led health promotion initiatives (4), mental health (5), drug users (6, 7), sex workers (8, 9, 10), The Institute for Inclusive Security (which includes The Women Waging Peace Network) (11), and even Anglicare Tasmania (12)

The rationale for using this common mantra is the need for INCLUSIVENESS.

As the definition held within Wikipedia states “Nothing About Us Without Us! is… used to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by an essay writers from writing services; representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected by that policy. This involves ethic, ability-based or other groups that are often thought to be marginalised from political, social and economic opportunities” (13).

 

 

(1) http://www.hrc.co.nz/home/hrc/newsandissues/internationalhumanrightstreatycomesintobeing.php

(2) http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/iddp2004.htm

(3) http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20090517/NEWS/905179985/1055/rss

(4) http://www.ohpe.ca/node/3994

(5) http://www.m-power.org/

(6) http://www.champnetwork.org/media/sp07No.5.pdf

(7) http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/publicationsdocEN.php?ref=85

(8) http://www.scarletalliance.org.au/library/ihra_08/

(9) http://swannet.org/en/node/954

(10) http://stepscentre-thecrossing.blogspot.com/2008/08/international-aids-conference-mexico.html

(11) http://www.huntalternatives.org/pages/82_women_waging_peace_network.cfm

(12) http://www.anglicare-tas.org.au/

(13) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_About_Us_Without_Us

 

 

 

 

Note: NAUWU makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. NAUWU cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information.

Disclaimer: Images used on this site have been used with the permission of all parties pictured. If you happen to find an image of yourself and do not wish for it to appear on http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com , please let the webperson of this site know by contacting nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com .

Contributions on http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com have been made by NSW sex workers and other concerned parties of the NSW sex industry; site design and maintenance by nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com ; Copyright Nothing About Us Without Us 2009 – 2011

 

 Posted by at 12:09 pm

Challenging SILK & the Sex Workers Handbook – Male Edition

 ACON/SWOP Campaigns, Campaigns  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , ,
Dec 032010
 

Challenging SILK & the Sex Workers Handbook – Male Edition

Sex workers are challenging the accuracy of information about the laws in the recently released SILK resource (Sex Industry and the Law) and the way the information is presented. We certainly challenge the attitudes towards anal sex expressed in the Sex Workers Handbook – Male Edition and we also note that the poor referencing of approximately 15% of it’s content coming from outdated online information for Canadian male sex workers - surely this verges into plagiarism? __

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Workers Hand Book – Male Edition
The following feedback was received from sex workers on the 30th November 2010, the day SWOP launched the resource:

“As a few people noted at the Scarlet Alliance National Forum last week, the new and long awaited Male Handbook from SWOP contains the rather strange advice on p29 that male workers should “Try to negotiate out of anal sex, if possible”. .. In the context of protected sex it should have no relevance.

Also advice is copied directly from a Hook Resource available at www.hookonline.org/downloads/MALEESCORTHANDBOOK.pdf

SWOP acknowledges on the inside front cover that “‘Some handy hints” in this resource are based on a publication by Hook Online.” About 15% of the information contained in the SWOP publication is verbatim from Hook Online. Hook is not an Australian resource and is definitely not a current resource.”  Male worker

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“My feeling is the original idea of avoiding anal sex might have been based on the same thing we’d say to any sex worker…. minimise wear and tear on the condom and your body by reducing the time you spend doing penetrative sex…. so spend ages doing hot body contact massage, etc so the client doesn’t take forever to come later…. reduces risk of condom breakage, and you getting too tired during busy shift at work (also use lots of lube) however, without the message being framed within that context, it sounds really strange, sex negative and possibly homophobic, and totally ignores potential impact on sex workers’ earnings by making that kind of suggestion.  And I wonder how much of those kinds of problems with the resource is about stealing text rather than doing the hard work of concept development and community consultation to hear about what local male sex workers info needs are. *sigh*”    Serena
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“ACON Board and members of the faceless SWOP ‘Advisory Committee’ are surely ultimately responsible for ACON/SWOP publications and the statements within them? Releasing badly flawed resources is no way to try and rebuild the demolished bridges to the sex worker community – ACON/SWOP fuck up yet again and it is such a shame because SWOP used to be respected in the community once. Sex workers obviously need to govern SWOP for themselves; and they sure couldn’t do any worse than ACON.”      Debbie Did-I-Really
 
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Sex Industry Legal Kit
The following feedback was received from sex workers on the 30th November 2010, the day SWOP launched the resource:

I truly believe that many of our peers are simply not well informed or even mis-informed about the impact of the law and even today, many peers that I have spoken with are totally confused about the different laws around Australia.  Overall, our local org’s have not been effective with getting this information across and it’s also very disappointing to hear that SILK is not helping in this.  If our own local org’s cannot provide us with the correct information on the laws of that State or Territory through peer education, are moving away from employing peers and placing peers in decision-making roles within sex worker organisations, and simply won’t listen to our expertise then it’s understandable why so many sex workers remain confused, particularly when they work and travel throughout Australia.  It just all really pisses me off and concerns me at the same time.”    Khyiah

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“Not only are there inaccuracies (in the legal kit) which makes it confusing, it speaks at us and about us in ways that are offensive with information and in a language we could easily get ourselves from dropping into any legal aid centre – sex worker voices again stymied”.    Darlo Debby

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“ACON is incapable and flatly refuses to respond to the bad media coverage its sex work client base has been experiencing daily and will continue to leading up to the election. Similarly it’s incapable of putting out a decent resource as evidenced by their ridiculous attempt at a male resource and legal resource. If they can’t do anything right, they should employ sex workers who can, or give the money to Scarlet Alliance who ALWAYS do amazing work and have the full support of the peer community.“   GF

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“The SILK legal resource is an absolute disgrace. ACON has a team of lawyers who will not represent me when I follow the inaccurate legal advice set out in this ACON resource and get myself arrested. What use is ACON? Well they’re useful if you’re their client and want to get arrested!”    Angela

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Combined Response for both SILK and The Workers Handbook – Male edition
“Feedback such as from those attached to “Nothing About Us Without Us” is an important part of the discussion about the usefulness of distributing information hat is not 100% written and controlled by sex workers. I recognise that the concepts of the resources are a result of years of work by sex workers, notably including Kenn Robinson and Maria McMahon, two tireless and inspiration previous SWOP staff.

Unfortunately in the last section of the process sex workers did not have control, and the outcome is that crucial parts of both the SILK legal kit and the Mens Handbook will confuse, stigmatise and possible dis-engage sex workers from the messages the resources intended to deliver (and in some stand alone sections does).

When looked at in totality, the negatives of the sections of dodgy content in the resources overide  the potential positives of having new information available to sex workers. It is incredibly disappointing because of the thousands of hours, years of work, funding and investment that sex workers, SWOP, ACON and the funding bodies put into getting the resources finished and available online and in hardcopy.

The resources can be seen here:

http://www.swop.org.au/download-resources

Regarding the Male Handbook, I too don’t support the “avoid anal-sex” content of the resource. I believe that in our anal-phobic society it doesn’t help to reinforce moral judgements about stigmatised sex acts being harmful to individuals who engage in them. And I don’t agree that less anal sex = less risk. In a sex setting ANYTHING can become increased risk if done incorrectly, but by engaging in anal sex that is negotiated and done well, the risk is NOT increased. I agree with the technical argument of “wear and tear” but if we are going fight anal-phobia, queer-phobia, whorephobia, then we have to be particularly careful with the way we write work  resources, and in this case present “Facts” about who is at risk of HIV and who is not.

It is NOT the case that having MORE anal sex puts you at MORE risk.
Its actually the opposite,,,

If you are not having much anal sex and you are not confident/experienced at it, you are MORE likely to put yourself at risk for not really knowing how to use condoms when you need to.

A person who is skilled, able to negotiate, confident in condom use, (skills you would get from being experienced at anal sex, doing it more than a person who is not experienced) then you are at lower risk because you know what the hell you are doing to protect yourself.

Without this kind of disclaimer statements like avoiding anal sex = lower risk unfortunately stigmatises potential resource readers who DO do anal sex and who DON”T avoid it.

After interrogating what is bad about the new resources, I would like to reflect on something good.

It was important that the funded state based sex worker organisation has managed to launch a new website after what has been years of inaction and mis-management. The SWOP staff of swop must recognised for all their hard work in delivering services to sex workers WITHOUT a functioning website for YEARS. The sex workers (past and present) in that organisation are congratulated for the peer education that they deliver day and night in the contacts they have with sex workers.

And sex workers all over NSW were should be rightly recognised for the long term contribution they have made to their state based sex workers organisation

The best current resource on the SWOP website is the street sex work and the law booklet.

http://www.swop.org.au/sites/default/files/SWOP-Street-Sex-Work-Law.pdf

Many many sex workers were involved in community development to write this document and it is really fabulous – they were not involved in the picture design however which resulted in a lost opportunity for graphics that could have enhanced the text. The booklet looked at the law from a sex worker point of view – and reads very differently to the SILK handbook.   Queer ‘Bromeliad Bites’ RT Choke

 

What can you do?
When a resource is funded (like SILK, The Workers Handbook – Male Edition and the SWOP website), part of the funding agreement almost always contains a condition that an evaluation is done. This is to make sure that the right information is getting to the right target group, so your feedback is really important and is what puts pressure on SWOP/ACON to develop resources in a responsible, meaningful way.

NSW sex workers call upon SWOP/ACON to develop peer resources; this means they should be supporting NSW sex workers to make resources for NSW sex workers. They shouldn’t be written by lawyers or other non sex workers; they shouldn’t take material written by NSW sex workers, cut it up and change the langauge, tone and content of the material so it is unrecognisable as a peer resource; and certainly the information in them shouldn’t be taken from overseas websites.

To help NAUWU give ACON/SWOP this message, please send us an email nothing-about-us-without-us@gmail.comwith your comment/feedback/evaluation or place it in the comments section of this page. Your comment doesn’t have to be very long, it can be just a few sentences if you don’t want to write anything more detailed. Alternatively you can give Lance (Manager) at SWOP a call on 02 9319 4866 and let him know what you think of SWOPs resources.

It would be really helpful if you were able to supply NAUWU with your feedback because it means it is recorded and won’t get lost or forgotten if directly reported to SWOP/ACON.

Without constant pressure being put on SWOP/ACON, unless they hear our voice, resources and the other services they are suppose to be supporting NSW sex workers with, will continue to be done the wrong way. We need your help!

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Note: NAUWU makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. NAUWU cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information.

Disclaimer: Images used on this site have been used with the permission of all parties pictured. If you happen to find an image of yourself and do not wish for it to appear on http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.complease let the webperson of this site know by contacting nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com  .

contributions on  http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com  have been made by NSW Sex Workers and other concerned parties of NSW Sex Industry; site design and maintenance by nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com ; Copyright Nothing About Us Without Us  2009 – 2011

 Posted by at 3:30 am

The Sex Industry in NSW: A Report to the NSW Ministry of Health_The Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine University of New South Wales (LASH)

 Research and Reports, Sex Work Across Australia  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Mar 232012
 

The LASH Project was a continuation of sex worker research conducted by Professor Donovan and Dr. Christine Harcourt out of the Sydney Sexual Health Centre over the past two decades or more. It was time to see how the varying legislative responses around the country impact on the health and welfare of sex workers.  The earlier research had suggested that decriminalisation may offer the best outcomes but there was need to conduct broader population-based research to properly assess the health and welfare impacts of differing legal approaches to sex work

The aim of the project was to compare health and welfare outcomes for sex workers in the capital cities of three Australian States with different legislative approaches in responding to the sex industry namely:

  • Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) – largely decriminalised
  • Melbourne, Victoria (VIC) – licensing
  • Perth, Western Australia (WA) – prohibition

The study examined whether restrictive prostitution laws and policing practices adversely affect the health and welfare of sex workers within these three differing legislative frameworks.

The report to the Western Australian Government can be found here:
The Sex Industry in Western Australia: A Report to the Western Australian Government
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And now the much anticipated NSW report can be found here:
The Sex Industry in NSW: A Report to the NSW Ministry of Health (2012)
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A direct link to The Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine University of New South Wales where the report appears can be found here:
http://www.med.unsw.edu.au/NCHECRweb.nsf/resources/SHPReport/$file/NSWSexIndustryReportV4.pdf

 

 

 

 

Note: NAUWU makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. NAUWU cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information.

Disclaimer: Images used on this site have been used with the permission of all parties pictured. If you happen to find an image of yourself and do not wish for it to appear on http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com please let the webperson of this site know by contacting nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com  .

Contributions on  http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com  have been made by NSW Sex Workers and other concerned parties of NSW Sex Industry; site design and maintenance by nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com ; Copyright Nothing About Us Without Us  2009 – 2020

 Posted by at 12:25 pm

Sex worker reveals industry truth Geraldton Newspapers 17.02.12

 Australian Media, Media  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , ,
Feb 222012
 

Sex worker reveals industry truth

Alex McKinnon
Geraldton Newspapers
February 17, 2012, 9:52 am
 
Exclusive: A working Geraldton protitute lifts the lid on just how big and dangerous the sex industry has become since the resources boom.
THINKSTOCK ©

Prostitutes are having sex without condoms or appropriate protection more than 200 times a day in Geraldton, according to a veteran sex worker who spoke exclusively to The Guardian this week.

Julie (not her real name) said customers who were largely fl yin, fl y-out resource industry workers now regularly demand multiple forms of sexual intercourse and oral sex without condoms, dental dams or protective sanitary lubricant, and all for $80 an hour.

According to investigations and interviews conducted by The Guardian, more than 90 per cent of the business is being conducted by Chinese, Thai and Korean girls.

It is estimated there are more than 20 Asian girls working in Geraldton today.

Based on the volume of sex work, the turnover is estimated at between $15,000 and $25,000 per day, with the bulk of the profits going to pimps.

Julie said the Asian girls had no identification and she believed they were trafficked in and out of Geraldton on two to three week rotations, from the Gold Coast and other Eastern States locations.

“I have run into them a few times and sometimes they try to run interference with my business,” she said.

“I picked up two of them late last year walking home from a job they had been thrown out of in Waggrakine.

“They were trying to walk all the way home to Mahomets Flats. They had no identification and spoke no English.

“I take all the proper precautions and I look after myself, but these girls all use the same razors, they would all have hepatitis and the blokes don’t care.

The level of education of the men is frightening.

“They are becoming demanding, they want everything with no protection.

“They don’t even understand that the mouth is one of the worst areas for catching disease, and they think they are special, that the girls don’t do it for other guys. Well they need to wake up.

“They think it is okay to hammer a girl for 30 minutes for $80, they expect it, and if they don’t get it, they get angry.”

Julie, who charges up to $280 per hour, has round-the-clock protection and manages her own operation.

During our interview she received her 84th phone call for the day.

She explained to the man inquiring that she did not kiss on the mouth and would not have sex without a condom.

The man was not interested. He knew he could call another agency and get what he wanted for a third of what Julie was charging. He hung up.

“There you go, I get that more and more now,” Julie said, shaking her head.

“And the other scary thing is that I am now getting calls from Nigerian and Somali men wanting to run girls here in Geraldton.

“These girls are also making fake bookings for me to try to stop me getting their business.

It is just out of control here and nobody is doing anything about it. There is no help either for these girls.”

Julie said there was no way the Asian girls could be making any money at $80 an hour.

“It is a $20 fare each way for the taxi, then accommodation,” she said.

“These girls are bonded, they are in a master-slave relationship.

I feel sorry for them, they are uneducated and they can’t speak English.”

Julie said it was mostly men running the women now.

“I look after my customers properly, I treat them well and they treat me well,” she said.

“When they order these girls they turn up looking nothing like the pictures they have been shown. ”

Julie said the only way to make the industry safe was to allow brothels to open officially and under police supervision with a proper register of the girls.

“Then these girls can be safe, the brothel operators would have to be licensed like they are in Perth or Port Hedland,” she said.

The law is very grey in regard to police being able to bring the booming trade in Geraldton under control.

Mike Hayter, a lawyer in Geraldton with Mid West Lawyers, said there was presently a Prostitution Bill 2011 in the Legislative Assembly with the second reading on November 3, 2011.

“Briefly, the purpose of the Bill is to prohibit prostitution in residential areas with strict licensing requirements,” he said.

“Operators, managers and self-employed prostitutes will need to comply with strict licensing requirements.

“A manager is defined in the Bill as simply being a person who manages a prostitution business.

“There is no reason for us to conclude that a manager or operator of an escort agency or prostitution business cannot be a male — and this is said without taking into account the fact that for a number of years the police have operated a containment policy that is not the subject of legislation.”

Julie said she was registered with the Geraldton police as a sex worker.

She does not believe any other sex workers are registered.

Geraldton police detective Tony Longhorn said they used to keep a register but it was no longer current.

ALEX MCKINNON

Full report in today’s Geraldton Guardian.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/news/12936946/sex-worker-reveals-industry-truth/

 Posted by at 12:11 pm

Townsville sex claims ‘rubbish’ The North West Star 16.02.12

 Australian Media, Media  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,
Feb 222012
 

 

Note: the original article this article was posted in response to, was taken down off the newspapers website as soon as this article was posted. In the orginial article one of the local “legal” sex industry owners was quoted bagging fly-in fly-out sex workers for local increase in syphilis.  Thank you Dr Menon – you helped dispel some myths and not only held the media accountable, you made them retract a bad article!!!

Townsville sex claims ‘rubbish’

16 Feb, 2012 08:26 AM
The North West Star
 
ABSOLUTE total rubbish, was the response from Sexual Health Services specialist Dr Arun Menon to a story in the Townsville Bulletin that the rise in syphilis cases in the North West was due to dubious sex practices in illegitimate brothels in Mount Isa.”The problem isn’t with sex workers or brothels; it’s with young people aged 15 to 30.”That’s where most of the cases are,” Dr Menon said.

The problem wasn’t just in Mount Isa but across the region, he said.

So far this year, to February 9, five cases of syphilis have been reported in the Mount Isa Health Service District, sparking an education and information campaign about sexually transmissible diseases in the North West.

People under the age of 30 and sexually active should get themselves tested, Dr Menon said.

“Babies can become infected in the womb, and for the infected adult, it can lead to problems with the heart, brain and the spinal cord.”

Because the disease was asymptomatic people might not realise they were infected until much later in life, hence the need for testing now.

There was a confidential blood test for syphilis and it was easily treated with antibiotics.

Dr Menon urged young people to see their GP or visit the Sexual Health drop in clinic in Doreen Street, next to the hospital.

Queensland Health’s senior director of Communicable Diseases, Dr Christine Selvey, also took exception to the article in the Townsville Bulletin, saying it was “wrong”.

In a letter to the editor, Dr Selvey said the outbreak was widespread in North Western communities and had nothing at all to do with either the “illegal prostitution trade” or the mining industry.

“There have been NO cases of syphilis involving the sex trade industry, illegal or otherwise, or indeed the mining industry workforce,” she wrote.

http://www.northweststar.com.au/news/local/news/general/townsville-sex-claims-rubbish/2457630.aspx

 Posted by at 12:00 pm

Sexual Slavery and Human Trafficking Within Legal Brothels_Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE Question Without Notice (QWN) to The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER_NSW Legislative Council_14.02.12

 NSW Parliament, Parliament  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Feb 222012
 
About this Item
Speakers Nile Reverend The Hon Fred; Gallacher The Hon Michael
Business Questions Without Notice, QWN
 
SEXUAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING WITHIN LEGAL BROTHELS
Page: 20

Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE: I ask the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, representing the Premier, a question without notice. Is the New South Wales Government aware there have been further reports of sexual slavery and human trafficking being conducted by legal brothels in New South Wales, such as Diamonds 4 Ever brothel in Guilford, Sydney? Is it a fact this legal brothel forced three young girls from Thailand to work as sex slaves? Is it a fact that last week the brothel owner, Song Chhoung Ea, was arrested by the Australian Federal Police and charged with human trafficking offences? Does the Government acknowledge that it cannot trust legal brothels to stop exploitation of young girls? What action will the Government take to stop this abuse?

The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: I thank the honourable member for his question and indicate that this Government is committed to the development of a brothel licensing and regulatory authority to eliminate illegal brothels and to ensure that legal brothels comply with the law. In developing this regulatory approach the Government will consult with key stakeholders. It wants to create a safer environment for everyone—sex workers, their clients and the community. Whilst many brothels comply with the law, in some instances illegal operations are putting the health of their workers, their clients and the community at risk. There are suggestions that some brothels may become a haven for organised criminal gangs.

The example given by Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile is different and an indication of how serious a concern this is to the community and most certainly to the Government. Many industries have a strong regulatory framework around them. This provides protection for consumers, safeguards community interests and ensures a safe working environment for the employees. The regulatory framework that the Government will propose for the brothel industry is intended to achieve similar results and to close down illegal brothels, forcing those operators out of the industry. There is the regulatory side, in terms of noncompliance, but then there is the potential for organised crime to be involved. That would move into the domain of one of the—

Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile: Who will enforce it?

The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: In respect of organised crime, that will be the role of the New South Wales Police Force. I am suggesting to the honourable member that the Government will ensure that a strengthened approach to compliance occurs by improving the coordination of councils and their compliance officers with State Government agencies such as WorkCover New South Wales, NSW Health and the New South Wales Police Force.

 
 
 
 
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Note: NAUWU makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. NAUWU cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information.

Disclaimer: Images used on this site have been used with the permission of all parties pictured. If you happen to find an image of yourself and do not wish for it to appear on http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com please let the webperson of this site know by contacting nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com  .

Contributions on  http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com  have been made by NSW Sex Workers and other concerned parties of NSW Sex Industry; site design and maintenance by nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com ; Copyright Nothing About Us Without Us  2009 – 2020

 Posted by at 11:23 am

Sex Industry and Asian Women_Charles Casuscelli Private Members Statement_NSW Legislative Assembly_16.02.12

 NSW Parliament, Parliament  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
Feb 222012
 
Speakers Casuscelli Mr Charles
Business Private Members Statements, PRIV
 
SEX INDUSTRY AND ASIAN WOMEN
Page: 79

Mr CHARLES CASUSCELLI (Strathfield) [6.22 p.m.]: At a recent Korean Ministerial Consultative Committee meeting the issue of Korean women being coerced or tricked into working in the sex industry was briefly discussed. I have had a number of discussions with Korean community leaders about this issue. I must admit that the majority of advertising in local newspapers for prostitutes and brothels features Asian women. Koreans are a dignified and respectful people. They are rooted in tradition, but they embrace the modern world. They have strong family values, they are a cohesive community and they are now reaching out to others much more than they have in the past. It is distressing to members of that community, both men and women, that Korean women are exploited and presented almost as the face of the sex industry in many local newspapers.

This problem has many dimensions and the continuing operation of illegal brothels, the standard of regulation and compliance of legal brothels and human trafficking means that women may end up in sexual servitude. I am aware of Korean community concerns about reports suggesting that at least 1,000 Korean nationals are working in the local sex industry. Some could be there as a direct result of sex trafficking. I am unable to confirm the veracity of the numbers, but there is real concern in the community. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen recently said that his department would conduct a targeted analysis of the student visa program to find any links with the sex industry. The Federal Government has previously indicated that $50 million in funding has been allocated to fight domestic anti-trafficking initiatives since 2003.

We have a substantial network of organisations involved in the anti-human trafficking community, including law enforcement agencies and support services. Clearly, that is not enough; we all need to do more. Stories of young Asian women arriving in Australia and being met at airports by strangers coercing them to participate in the sex industry are real, they are not Hollywood scenarios. They are far too common and they destroy the lives of young women.

Having spoken to a number of people who are active in helping victims of sexual exploitation, I know that part of the problem stems from the fact that women over the age of 18 must ask for help, it cannot be forced on them. If a woman is found to be under 18 years of age, immediate and effective action can be taken to remove her from the exploitative situation regardless of her wishes. The problem of protecting women over 18 years of age boils down to two issues: first, providing them with information about where to get help if they decide to seek it; and, secondly, making it easier for them to access support services provided by organisations such as the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, Asian Women at Work and others. Increasing awareness of sex trafficking and the risks of working in the sex industry before a woman is caught up in it is critical. My two daughters were shocked when we recently watched Taken, a movie starring Liam Neeson. Unfortunately, in the real world there is no Hollywood ending. The only guaranteed outcome of the sexual servitude is tragedy and grief.

I have today approached the Minister for Citizenship and Communities about this critical issue, which affects our Korean friends and neighbours and which speaks to their dignity and honour. I urged the Minister to consider asking the Community Relations Commission to look into the issues and problems associated with the trafficking and exploitation of Korean women in the sex industry in New South Wales and to establish what is being done to address these problems. I am pleased to report that the Minister immediately agreed to my proposal. He has assured me that he will request the commission to conduct an inquiry and to provide him with recommendations about how the New South Wales Government might be able to cooperate with the Federal Government to address this issue. I am hopeful that representatives of the commission will meet with Korean community leaders, experts and other public sector authorities involved in this area. I also hope to arrange a meeting between the Korean Ministerial Consultative Committee and the chair of the commission, Mr Stepan Kerkysharian. I will also be meeting with Dr Kyungja Jung from the University of Technology, Sydney, who has conducted research into the issue of Korean migrant sex workers.

I will conclude my contribution by quoting Jenny Stanger, the supervisor of the Salvation Army Safe House, who believes that community awareness is critical in dealing with this issue. Jenny believes that education of frontline personnel most likely to come into contact with trafficked people should be a priority. She cites examples of police and community groups responding to incidents of wage disputes, domestic violence, self-harm and assault that were actually cases of trafficking and/or slavery. Jenny and her staff have also identified cases by following up media stories and by proactively reaching out to community and government agencies. Jenny and the safe-house team want to reduce the links in the chain of assistance for trafficked people so that people can access protection and support more easily and more quickly. She believes that we need to saturate the community with practical information about how to recognise a possible trafficked person and to provide some of the questions that should be asked. She points out that this issue is not on the radar of most people who may be in a position to help. We may very well need to increase community awareness, especially the awareness of those people who may unknowingly come into contact with victims.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Note: NAUWU makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. NAUWU cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information.

Disclaimer: Images used on this site have been used with the permission of all parties pictured. If you happen to find an image of yourself and do not wish for it to appear on http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com please let the webperson of this site know by contacting nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com  .

Contributions on  http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com  have been made by NSW Sex Workers and other concerned parties of NSW Sex Industry; site design and maintenance by nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com ; Copyright Nothing About Us Without Us  2009 – 2020

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted by at 11:05 am

The Aboriginal Sex Workers Education and Outreach Project (ASWEOP) at Maggie’s in Toronto sex worker video!

 NAUWU, NAUWU and our Peers  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,
Feb 222012
 

The Aboriginal Sex Workers Education and Outreach Project (ASWEOP) at Maggie’s in Toronto is the only Indigenous-led group of sex workers in North America.  They have just released some really kick-ass statements and a video which are now available on the Maggie’s website. In a society which repeatedly silences and disrespects Indigenous sex workers, these are critical!

http://maggiestoronto.ca/news?news_id=80

You’ll find

- a statement by Indigenous people in the sex trade/sex industries
- a press release supporting the annual Feb 14 Missing Indigenous women’s rally
- a video of Maurganne Mooney speaking at the Sisters In Spirit Vigil last year to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Maggie’s would love your help in getting the word out, so please circulate this page to EVERYONE on the planet.

 

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Note: NAUWU makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. NAUWU cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information.

Disclaimer: Images used on this site have been used with the permission of all parties pictured. If you happen to find an image of yourself and do not wish for it to appear on http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com please let the webperson of this site know by contacting nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com  .

Contributions on  http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com  have been made by NSW Sex Workers and other concerned parties of NSW Sex Industry; site design and maintenance by nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com ; Copyright Nothing About Us Without Us  2009 – 2020

 Posted by at 1:49 am

Seoul asks for help to stem sex slavery The Age 05.02.12

 Australian Media, Media  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Feb 222012
 

Seoul asks for help to stem sex slavery

February 5, 2012
The Age 

THE South Korean government is working with Australian police to crack down on organised-crime gangs bringing women here as sex slaves.

The Koreans have met top foreign affairs and immigration officials, along with the Australian Federal Police, to discuss better ways to put a stop to Korean women working in the Australian sex industry. They are particularly concerned about ”debt bondage or trafficking” scams.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that a meeting ”late last year discussed a range of bilateral issues”.

A senior Korean official told The Sun-Herald the sex trade was ”a very significant issue” for them and that several investigations were in progress into Korean syndicates operating in Australia.

”It is very difficult to find the number, but our assumption is 1000 Korean nationals are working here,” he said. ”We know prostitution is legal in some parts of Australia but it is illegal in Korea. But, if the women are victims of trafficking, or in slave-like conditions, then it is illegal under both countries’ laws.”

Korea also wants the Australian authorities to help catch and prosecute these criminals in Korea.”We want to stop Korean sex workers doing sex business in Australia and to stop the organisations associated with this activity,” he said.

An AFP spokeswoman confirmed they were working with the Koreans to combat trafficking.

Ilya Gridneff

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/seoul-asks-for-help-to-stem-sex-slavery-20120204-1qyng.html#ixzz1n1WtrEOm

 Posted by at 12:47 am

Brothel owner charged with human trafficking The Sydney Morning Herald 02.02.12

 Australian Media, NSW Media  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Feb 212012
 

Brothel owner charged with human trafficking

Rachel Olding
The Sydney Morning Herald
February 2, 2012

The owner of a Sydney brothel has been charged with human trafficking offences after the Salvation Army discovered three woman allegedly being held as sex slaves.

A 42-year-old Chinese-Cantonese man allegedly trafficked the young women from Thailand to work at his brothel in Guildford in Sydney’s west.

The Australian Federal Police will allege the women were told they were travelling to Australia on student visas but upon arrival had their passports confiscated and were taken to the brothel where they were held against their will.

It was “an abhorrent situation”, said the AFP’s national co-ordinator of human trafficking operations, Glyn Lewis.

“It’s our general experience [that] these women live under very harsh conditions,” Superintendent Lewis said.

“Their freedom’s restricted, they may be forced in various ways coercively, threatened with deportation by the owners [and] lied to. They often have difficult language skills so they’re really in a very frightened state when we get to meet them.”

The Salvation Army, which operates a safe house for victims of human trafficking, received a tip-off that the women were being held against their will.

The women chose to speak to police and a federal police investigation allegedly discovered they had been illegally trafficked and detained in sexual servitude.

Five search warrants were executed last night at the brothel as well as residential and business addresses in Cabramatta, Casula and Canley Heights.

The brothel owner was granted bail and will face court later this month on several charges.

Superintendent Lewis said it was too early to say what would happen to the three women, who have been referred to the Australian Red Cross for a three-month intensive program to recover from their trauma.

They may be granted witness protection (trafficking) visas and be able to remain in the country.

“By its very nature, this crime type involves people who are often reluctant to come forward to authorities,” he said.

“Human trafficking … is a heinous crime that impacts not only the victims, but their families and communities.”

The maximum potential penalty for the brothel owner is 25 years’ imprisonment.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/brothel-owner-charged-with-human-trafficking-20120202-1qurx.html#ixzz1n1AUXC00

 Posted by at 11:18 pm

Open letter to the Director General of NSW Public Health_Failure to enact public health promotion re: Local Council Regulation_19.01.12

 Campaigns, NSW Government Campaigns  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,
Feb 212012
 

The following open letter was sent to the Director General of NSW Public Health advising of the breakdown in the promotion of public health in NSW as it relates to NSW Health providing appropriate input into the development of Local Environment Plans (LEPs) by local councils.

Previously in NSW there were processes in place to ensure that local councils, when submitting LEPs for review to NSW Health, were provided with considered feedback that promoted the principles and practices of public health promotion in regards to regulating the sex industry. Over the years these processes and resources dedicated to promoting public health in relation to LEPs have disappeared which has lead to the failur of current LEPs from a public health perspective

It has resulted in local councils being largely left to their own ill-informed devices when developing planning controls for their local sex industry. This has proven to have dire consequences!

Below is the full letter sent to the Director General of Public Health. Please read and make yourself aware of the implications of what happens when health promotion in relation to the National and State public health strategies are not followed or respected with regards to LEPs and local council’s!

Open Letter to DG Health_Failure to enact public health promotion re Local Council regulation_19th Jan 2012

 

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Note: NAUWU would like to thank Saul Isbister and Julie Bates for their continued hard work on this issue and for allowing us to place the letter on the site.

 

 

 

Note: NAUWU makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. NAUWU cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information.

Disclaimer: Images used on this site have been used with the permission of all parties pictured. If you happen to find an image of yourself and do not wish for it to appear on http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com please let the webperson of this site know by contacting nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com  .

Contributions on  http://www.nothing-about-us-without-us.com  have been made by NSW Sex Workers and other concerned parties of NSW Sex Industry; site design and maintenance by nothingaboutuswithoutus@gmail.com ; Copyright Nothing About Us Without Us  2009 – 2020

 Posted by at 8:38 pm

Are cops the boss of the Cross? The Sydney Morning Herald 29.01.12

 Australian Media, NSW Media  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Jan 292012
 

Are cops the boss of the Cross?

Heath Aston
January 29, 2012
The Sydney Morning Herald
EXCLUSIVE

Trouble-prone ... World Famous Show Girls.

Trouble-prone … World Famous Show Girls. Photo: Wolter Peeters

SHOULD Sydney police be in the business of deciding who runs a strip club in Kings Cross? The liquor regulator thinks not.

The Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority has slapped down a bid by the NSW government to grant local police officers veto power over the appointment of managers at the trouble-prone World Famous Show Girls.

The authority warned giving police the unprecedented power to influence hiring at the Darlinghurst Road establishment may ”potentially compromise” officers and reopen the door to ”official corruption” in Sydney’s vice district.

The grab for extra powers by the police appears to be part of a renewed push against licensed venues in Kings Cross, with another Darlinghurst Road licensee, Dominic Kaikaty, of Eye Bar, failing in his appeal this month against a five-year ban for a string of offences under the Liquor Act.

Before last year’s state election, Barry O’Farrell and Mike Gallacher, who went on to become the Police Minister, warned of a Coalition government crusade against nightclub owners in the Cross, particularly in relation to illicit drugs.

The move against Show Girls – which is owned by the Kings Cross identity Michael Koutra – stemmed from the arrest last year of the strip club’s manager and bouncer for allegedly dealing cocaine from the premises.

The former manager John Gabriel (also known as Khaled Mohamad Harmouch, Kevin Hawa and Kolid Hammoshe) was arrested last May when police allegedly found 30 grams of cocaine in his office. Police allege he had been selling drugs from the premises for a year. Mr Gabriel, who faces five counts of supply, is due to appear at the District Court on February 3. His co-accused, the Show Girls doorman Scott Robert Lavers, will face Downing Centre local court the same day.

According to the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority, in the past 12 months three dancers at Show Girls were found with drugs, including ice, in their possession. Two have been convicted. Police reported finding another dancer ”apparently on drugs convulsing in the toilets”, said the report by the authority chairman, Chris Sidoti.

Last year, Show Girls attracted more bad publicity after an Australian Defence Force court martial heard allegations of credit card fraud carried out at the venue on a young naval officer. It was revealed during proceedings that Kings Cross police had received complaints from patrons alleging theft of property and being charged for services they do not remember.

In the aftermath of the cocaine arrests, Kings Cross police moved to slap 14 new licence conditions on the Show Girls licensee, Cathie Downie, a single mother from western Sydney who police say is on the premises just three nights a week, from Sunday to Tuesday.

Show Girls is licensed to trade 22 hours a day Monday to Friday and 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday.

The club accepted new conditions that called for a management plan to be lodged with police but rejected condition no.8 – to give police the power of veto over hirings. The condition, imposed by Barry Buffier, the deputy director-general of the Department of Trade and Investment – which oversees the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing – stated: ”At any time … the licensee is not present on the premises, then the licensed premises must be under the supervision of a person who has been approved as a supervisor by NSW Police.”

But Ms Downie’s solicitor, Tony Schwartz, argued that no condition giving police the power to approve employees under the licensee had ever been imposed in NSW.

”The role of the police under the act is to bring matters to the attention of the authority, not to make final decisions on licensing matters,” Mr Schwartz told the authority.

”Previous inquiries into liquor regulation in NSW, including the [1997] Wood Royal Commission … have identified the potential for police corruption to arise from the administration of liquor and gaming legislation.”

”While no allegation is made against the current officers of the Kings Cross local area command, were condition eight to stand it would lead to an environment that offers a temptation and opportunity for police corruption in Kings Cross.”

In his findings, Mr Sidoti agreed, saying: ”A condition that renders the appointment of the supervisors or managers of any licensed premises to be the subject of local police ‘approval’ would seem, on its face, contrary to the separation of licensing and enforcement functions that is provided by the act.

”The scope for official corruption to arise in a licensing context, particularly in a late-trading entertainment precinct like Kings Cross, has been well-documented.”

The authority has determined that Ms Downie can choose her own supervisors as long as they have 12 months’ experience managing a late-trading premises and have passed standard police checks.

When contacted by The Sun-Herald, Mr Schwartz declined to comment.

Police said any moves against venues in Kings Cross were ”targeted”.

”This is about targeting repeat offenders,” a spokeswoman said.

 

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/are-cops-the-boss-of-the-cross-20120128-1qmyg.html#ixzz1koGGtZBs

 Posted by at 1:23 pm
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