ACON, SWOP NSW and the Irate Sex Workers of NSW

There's been some recent upheaval in the organised sex workers rights movement in Australia. SWOP NSW, a project of ACON, is no longer a member of Scarlet Alliance, the Australian Sex Workers Association. There has been tension for some time surrounding SWOP, both involving the peak body and with individual sex workers expressing dissatisfaction over the management of the organisation and the decreasing involvement of sex workers or people with sex work experience. This culminated this week in a group of sex workers composing an open letter to the President and Board of ACON, and having it published in the Sydney Star Observer.

I think the piece speaks for itself, go here and read the letter.

News articles on the piece can be found at the SSO and SX News.

I really don't have much to add... sex worker involvement in and control of sex worker organisations is simply vital, and the failings of SWOP NSW are no secret to most Sydney based sex workers, and many in rural or regional NSW. The open letter sums the issue up perfectly.

Unfortunately, I have little expectation of ACON recognising their error and moving to once more provide a service relevant to the sex workers they claim to assist and represent.

Text of the letter found in the image here:

A consortium of NSW sex workers, along with Australian and International peer educators and sex worker organisations, wish to draw your attention to the fact that we are still awaiting progress on the devolution of SWOP from ACON. The former manager of SWOP was given carriage of the devolution process three and a half years ago when she was first employed. We note that the timeline for this process has expired with no evidence of advance. In fact sex workers of NSW have NEVER had any feedback or update about this process. Considering that this is about OUR organisation this is a disgrace.

We are disgusted to note that the new position description for the managers' position at SWOP, as advertised, does not identify devolution as an essential component of their role - as was previously the case.

In addition, with significant regret, we note that the essential criteria do NOT require the manager to be, or have been, a sex worker. This is an outrageous shortfall to ACON's commitment to both the NSW and Commonwealth commitments to peer education and self determination as outlined in the NSW and Commonwealth HIV and STI Strategies. These strategies clearly identify peer education as the most effective means of educating sex workers on HIV/STI prevention. Furthermore, it is imperative that sex workers – representing the local sex industry and the national sex worker organisation, Scarlet Alliance, are on the interview panel for jobs advertised at SWOP. This would be in alignment with other peer-based sex worker organisations around Australia.

In 1990, SWOP was established with the intention to become an autonomous organisation within two years. 19 years later, we are aware that the ACON Board sub-committee to oversee the devolution has not met for many months, and now seems to have lost momentum. The current SWOP organisational review, has STILL not been released, and is further proof that ACON is incapable of meeting sex workers needs in a transparent and honest way. We demand the report's immediate release, and an honest acknowledgment from the ACON board of their intentions to support SWOP to become autonomous, if this is the case.

In the mean time ACON must cease absorbing SWOP's fundraised monies, cease making strategic and organisational decisions on behalf of SWOP, halt all recruitment processes and move into caretaker mode until a new approach, involving the sex workers of NSW, can be determined.

A response to this letter can be sent to: irateNSWsexworkers@gmail.com

I have not transcribed the signatures at the end of the letter.