At Amnesty International's 32nd International Council Meeting which takes place in Dublin from 7-11 August, members will consider a resolution calling for an explicit organizational commitment to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of sex workers. The resolution “requests the International Board to adopt a policy that seeks attainment of the highest possible protection of the human rights of sex workers, through measures that include the decriminalization of sex work.” This echoes the preponderance of evidence that sex workers’ human rights are best protected when sex work is not illegal. We applaud AI’s action.
Amnesty’s resolution draws upon two years of research and internal consultation with Amnesty International worldwide sections and their members. In passing this resolution, Amnesty would join a growing number of respected development and human rights institutions such as the UN Development Programme, the World Bank and Human Rights Watch in calling for the decriminalization of sex work (noting the important distinction between sex work and trafficking), a position further supported by individuals including former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to the highest attainable standard of health, Anand Grover.
Unlike most AI resolutions to its International Board, this one has become a large, public and contentious issue, with the resolution receiving press coverage in a number of major newspapers including the New York Times in the US and the Guardian in the UK.
