Anna Wai James, Friends Frangipani Papua New Guinea

Transcription

1 Abstract no. TUPE 316 Anna Wai James, Friends Frangipani Papua New Guinea

2 Background Friends Frangipani is the national sex workers organisation in Papua New Guinea. The organisation is working to represent the rights and interest of sex workers including issues that are affecting sex workers on HIV/AIDS response and the law. Sex work is illegal; the law does not allow sex work in Papua New Guinea. It is hard to maximize the health and wellbeing of sex workers while we operate under ground. The laws against sex workers make things more dangerous for us, many of us have faced police violence, and abuse. When we wish to report our cases of violence or abuse we are worried about getting arrested or stigmatized and discriminated against. Our concerns are not taken seriously while police are able to arrest us and stopping us from our own business with our own bodies. They use the laws to report us as committing a crime against ourselves! We need the laws that criminalize sex work to be repealed. Description Because of our criminalised status, sex workers are: Not receiving quality sexual health services from service providers, often being refused treatment Having double stigma and discrimination by the public and our families if identified as sex workers or HIV positive Not able to get a police clearance certificate for other jobs because we have criminal records from being a sex worker Evidence shows that decriminalisation is the best legal framework for reducing stigma and discrimination, increasing access to healthcare and improving Human Rights and reducing HIV. The major international donors and stakeholders such as the Global Fund, UNAIDS and the World Health Organization all agree that decriminalization of sex work is an essential step in reducing HIV. In 2010, with the support of the Minister of Community Development, Dame Carol Kidu, a submission was made to the PNG Government to repeal the criminal laws relating to sex work in PNG. It was a big achievement to get things that far, and evidence of what can be achieved with strong support. Due to the change in government soon after, and Dame Carol Kidu, our only champion, retiring from politics, this submission has been ignored.

3 Methods Lessons Learned We learnt a lot from the national sex worker organisation referring us to other NGO partners that provide sexual health services and legal support. As a members and Executive Committee members of the organisation, we are working together with local, national and international partners on current laws on sex work to be repealed. We are strongly advocating that reforms should decriminalise sex work in Papua New Guinea to reduce HIV/AIDS. PNG is struggling to implement its own national HIV strategy and meet the 2015 MDG. Decriminalisation is a proven strategy in reducing HIV that works, yet the focus is moving away from law reform, other partners and stakeholders are increasingly moving away from this, thinking it s too hard or too slow a process. They are failing to see the importance of this in reducing HIV even though the evidence of Decriminalisation s effectiveness is clear. FF is really concerned about our human rights and our sex worker rights, as for other partners, when we attend meetings, they think we should be focusing on billum (traditional PNG hand woven bags) weaving projects - exit programs, they have no heart for our rights, and they just want us to change. We are strongly advocating that reforms should decriminalise sex work in Papua New Guinea.

4 Conclusions We as sex workers need: freedom of movement freedom of speech, accessing clinics without been stigmatized or discriminated, families and public to respect what we do with our bodies, government bodies to recognize sex workers as normal human beings and not criminals church based communities to respect us as sex workers We want the governments PNG Regional Dialogue on HIV and the Law to go ahead It is possible to achieve law reform and in a fairly short timeframe if enough get behind it. We desperately need to build support, identify champions and leaders in PNG to help push for law reform. Friends Frangipani is really concerned about our human rights and our sex workers rights, as for other partners, when we attend meetings, they think we should be focusing on billum (traditional PNG hand woven bags) weaving projects exit programs, they have no hearts for our rights, they just want us to change. People will not understand until they walk in our shoes, then they will understand. For us, Decriminalisation is a matter of life and death, people are dying, we need to continue to advocate for law reform.

5 People will not understand until they walk in our shoes, then they will understand. For us decriminalisation is a matter of life and death, people are dying, we need to advocate for law reform. Contact: tmanager.friendsfrangipani@gmail.com Friends Frangipani is in a capacity development partnership with Scarlet Alliance. This initiative is an Australian aid project, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.