The International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW) is a United Kingdom-based

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

for

sex workers A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is d ...

. It campaigns for the

decriminalisation Decriminalization or decriminalisation is the reclassification in law relating to certain acts or aspects of such to the effect that they are no longer considered a crime, including the removal of criminal penalties in relation to them. This refor ...

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

, and to have

sex work Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to volunt ...

acknowledged as viable labour. In 2002, members voted to affiliate with the GMB, a general workers union. The union now has official recognition as the sex industry branch of the GMB. Some of the services offered by the union include:

self-defence Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

classes, free

legal advice Legal advice is the giving of a professional or formal opinion regarding the substance or procedure of the law in relation to a particular factual situation. The provision of legal advice will often involve analyzing a set of facts and advising a p ...

and training for members who wish to leave the

sex industry The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide Sex worker, sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of s ...

. The union was formed in 2000 partly as a response to actions taken by

Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 31 Labour Party members and 23 Cons ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to try to remove prostitutes from the area. They are a member of

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...

, a pressure group formed in 2005 in order to oppose a new law criminalising possession of "

extreme pornography Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 is a law in the United Kingdom criminalising possession of what it refers to as "extreme pornographic images". The law came into force on 26 January 2009. The legislation was brought in ...

References

* Arthur Ivor Marsh, Victoria Ryan, "Historical Directory of Trade Unions: Including unions in printing and publishing, local government, retail and distribution, domestic services, general employment, financial services, agriculture", ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions vol.5'', Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2006, , p. 330

External links

International Union of Sex Workers

x:talk Project
Sex worker organizations Sex industry Sexuality in the United Kingdom Lobbying organisations in the United Kingdom Political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom Sex positivism 2000 establishments in the United Kingdom GMB (trade union) amalgamations {{UK-org-stub

See also

References

External links