Sex workers & their supporters are here today to call for the full decriminalisation of the sex industry in Western Australia.

This isn’t complicated.

We’re not asking for special treatment.

We simply want the same things that other citizens enjoy.

To be able to work in our chosen occupation.

To have labour rights & protections for that work.

& beyond that human rights.

Licensing regimes such as that proposed by the Barnett government will reduce sex workers to an existence where:

– sex workers would be licensed & registered like criminals, further stigmatising & marginalising our community

– sex workers would be relegated to isolated industrial zones, risking the safety of workers

– police would remain as regulators of our industry, meaning sex workers would have limited access to justice

– the licensing model proposed is so punitive that it would encourage non-compliance, ensuring a large section of the industry would be driven underground

– because of this sex workers would have reduced access to health and outreach services

Western Australia would become the most unsafe place to be a sex worker in Australia.

Most of this effort seems to be based around the idea of driving us out of the suburbs.

Well let me tell you something:

Where do you think we live?

We are already in the suburbs – because we live there.

We live there, we work there, we send our children to school there.

We are citizens, and daughters and wives, and sisters (or brothers).

We are not from planet sex worker.

We are your neighbours.

We are already living next door.

We may even be friends.

But we most likely will not have told you what we do.

Because we don’t want to deal with the discrimination that comes along with people knowing we’re a sex worker.

Licensing of the sex industry only furthers stigma & discrimination for sex workers.

As I said to begin with – we’re only asking for simple things…

No special treatment.

We want to be able to work in our chosen occupation.

& to have labour rights & protections for that work.

To have human rights.

There’s a simple answer.

DECRIMINALISATION.

Sex workers in Western Australia will accept nothing less.

For more information read sex worker Rebecca Davies interviewed in WA Today:

Sex workers target WA Parliament