Sex Workers Outreach Project: Annual Fundraiser

Thank you so much for your contributions to our last annual fundraiser, our 2018 fundraiser can be found here: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Swopusa2018

As we approach December 17th, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, we come together to remember those lost this year and renew our commitment to the on-going struggle for empowerment, visibility, and rights for ALL sex workers.

We also renew our commitment to solidarity. The majority of violence against sex workers is not only violence against sex workers—it is also violence against trans people, against women of color, against drug users, against immigrants. We cannot end the marginalization and victimization of ALL sex workers without also fighting transphobia, racism, stigma and criminalization of drug use, and xenophobia.

We are currently raising funds to promote our anti-violence mission and to continue  fighting for the rights of ALL people in the sex industry. 

The funds we raise will go directly to support: 

1. PROS Network Hosting & Implementation (25%) 
2. International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers events in 2017 (25%)
3. Sex Worker Competency Training for Helping Professionals (25%)
4. Community Support Line for Sex Workers (25%) 

Over the past year, we have accomplished SO much, but there is still much work to be done. 

In 2017 alone, we: 

1. Created an annual International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers list of names and memorial toolkit and listed worldwide events on our multilingual website hosted by SWOP-USA since 2012
2. Hosted educational webinars, with our most popular webinar getting over 1000 views! The most well- attended webinars were the Tech Safety & Security webinar, the PROP 60 webinars (we offered two), and the Outreach webinar. 
3. Helped mobilize sex worker-rights activists by providing direct financial assistance to many events across the country 
4. Offered online toolkits for activists for International Sex Workers Rights Day,  Pride month celebrations, and Transgender Day of Remembrance 
5. Continued to work with and support  SWOP Behind Bars! 
6. Made progress on our Decriminalization Task Force to pull together minds from sex worker organizations within the US and all over the world with the goal of decriminalizing sex work 
7. Operated our national hotline to support current and former sex workers. Over the past year, we provided direct support to individuals from over 32 states, answering 1-6 calls each day
8.  Brought a sex worker rights perspective to several mainstream national and local media sources--from the New York Times to Business Insider to The Daily Caller to CBS, from San Francisco, CA to Chicago, IL to Huntington, WVa.

Our other exciting upcoming projects include: 

• Several ongoing sex worker needs assessments conducted by and for sex workers 
• Free  upcoming webinars on self-care for sex workers and other sex worker-specific issues 
• Sex worker-affirmative competency trainings for mental health professionals (2018).
• Ongoing community support-line run by and for sex workers
• Maintaining an all-volunteer Board of Directors (welcoming 5 NEW members this year!) 
• December 17th (Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers) events all around the country: add your and find events here
• Much more! For all that we've been up to check out our blog and our new website!

The time for sex workers rights is now! 

Donate today to support our important fight for fundamental rights for ALL sex workers.