New Delhi: Earning a livelihood is one of the greatest challenges of a human’s life. While some earn their livelihood with their knowledge, arts, and skills, others earn it through physical efforts, including labour. Meanwhile, there is a small portion of society that earns their livelihood by indulging themselves in sex activities, which have never been considered a profession. It is one of the biggest challenges for sex workers to gain value in society, and they face numerous social and economic challenges every day. Thus, to recognises the exploited working conditions of sex workers and to honour them, June 2 is annually observed as International Sex Workers Day.
What laid the foundation for Sex Workers’ Day?
Sex workers are exploited by various types of people, forced to work under difficult circumstances, and compelled to live with troubling health conditions. The International Sex Workers’ Day focuses on raising awareness about the health and working conditions faced by sex workers across the globe.
The observation of the day came to an end after over 100 sex workers gathered at Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France, on June 2, 1975, to showcase their anger against their criminalised and exploitative living conditions. There they hung a banner from the Steeple which reads ‘Our children don’t want their mothers to go to jail’, which gained global attention. Moreover, the protesters also launched media campaign to precise their grievances through the globe. As result the campaign became a global movement, and sex workers from across France launched strikes at their own ends.
Sex workers protesting at Saint-Nizier Church had several demands, including the re-opening of the hotels where they worked, an end to police harassment, and a proper investigation into a series of sex worker murders. The eight-day-long agitation, received participation from sex workers across the France.
At the end, the movement created a legacy of activism that is annually observed on the occasion of International Sex Workers’ Day.
Who are termed as sex workers?
People who push themselves in physical intimation for economic benefits are considered as sex workers. The term ‘sex worker’ recognises that sex work is a profession. The majority of sex workers choose to be sex workers as they have no other option to earn a livelihood. They are often driven into this profession by poverty and economic challenges.
International Sex Workers Day is annually observed on June 2. It is observed to honour sex workers and to recognises the exploited working conditions they face at every moment. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
