International Whores' Day
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

International Whores’ Day or International Sex Workers’ Day is observed annually on June 2 of each year, honours sex workers and recognises their often exploited
working condition {{Short description, 1=Overview of and topical guide to working time and conditions This is a list of topics on working time and conditions. Legislation * See :Employment law Working time * See :Working time * Flextime Working conditions * Bio ...
s. The event commemorates the occupation of Église Saint-Nizier in Lyon by more than a hundred sex workers on June 2, 1975 to draw attention to their inhumane working conditions. It has been celebrated annually since 1976. In German, it is known as ''Hurentag'' (Whore's Day). In Spanish-speaking countries, it is the ''Día Internacional de la Trabajadora Sexual'', the International Day of the Sex Worker.


Background

In the 1970s, French police kept sex workers under increasing pressure. The police reprisals forced sex workers to work increasingly in secret. As a result, protection of sex workers decreased and led to more violence against them. After two murders and the unwillingness of the government to improve the situation,
sex worker 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 i ...
s in Lyon occupied the Saint-Nizier church in rue de Brest and went on strike. The striking workers sang political chants and demanded decent working conditions and an end to stigma. The police cleared the church after eight days. The event marks the starting point of an international movement of sex workers for sex workers’ rights.


Germany

A reading entitled "Women without rooms" in Bochum,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
on 29 May 2011 documented that the situation of sex workers has not improved since 1975. The reading was devoted to the sex workers of the neighbouring city of Dortmund, who are oppressed as the sex workers of Lyon were in 1975.


Similar memorials

* 3 March - International Sex Workers' Rights Day. * 17 December -
International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is observed annually on December 17 by sex workers, their advocates, friends, families and allies. Originally conceived as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Sea ...
.


References


Further reading

* Agustín, Laura Maria. ''"Sex at the Margins: Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry"'', 2007, Zed Books, * Agustín, Laura Maria. ''The Naked Anthropologist'

* * Leigh, Carol. ''"Unrepentant Whore: The Collected Works of Scarlot Harlot"'', 2004, Last Gasp, * Nagle, Jill. ''"Whores and Other Feminists"'', 1997, Routledge, * Pheterson,Gail. ''"A Vindication of The Rights of Whores"'', 1989, Seal Press * Weitzer, Ronald. 1991. ''"Prostitutes’ Rights in the United States"'', ''Sociological Quarterly'', v. 32, no.1, pages 23–41.''


External links

* *{{dmoz, Society/Sexuality/Politics_of_Sexuality/Sex_Work, Politics of Sexuality - Sex Work
Network of Sex Work Projects (International)
* ttp://www.iusw.org/ International Union of Sex Workers Prostitution Sexuality and society Sex workers' rights Feminism and social class June observances Civil awareness days Recurring events established in 1976