International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
Each year, on 17th December, sex workers and allies across the world mark International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.
The day begun in 2003, established by Annie Sprinkle and SWOP USA to mourn the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle, Washington. Sprinkle wrote in an open letter, “I felt a need to memorialize my whore sisters that had died so horribly and needlessly. I cared, and I knew other people cared too.” She also invited other sex workers around the world to host their own acts of memorial, individually and within their communities.
International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is a day of mourning. We remember those needlessly lost to violence – from individuals and from the state. It is also a day where we call for change.
It’s sex workers and allies amplifying their demands for right and justice.
It’s calling on law and policymakers to respect sex workers as valued members of our communities, worthy of safety and protection.
It’s calling on society as a whole to listen to sex workers, to uplift their voices, to recognise them as experts on their lives and needs, and to end the conditions which place them at risk of exceptional harm and violence.
We remember those we have lost, and we resolve to continue fighting so that no more lives are needlessly cut short.
NUM’s Resources for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
Each year at NUM, we create resources to raise awareness and remember those in the UK who we have lost. In recent years, these have included memorial cards, sharing details of the publicly-known sex workers lost to violence, and videos where sex workers and allies have joined us to honour those in our communities.
In 2022, we launched our memorial map. This tool allows you to see sex workers who have been lost around the UK. You can click into a geographical area, read the names of those who have been lost there, see some information about them, and find links to news articles about them. Please access this resource with caution if this may be upsetting to you.
You can view the resources that NUM has prepared each year here:
IDEVASW 2023
IDEVASW 2022
IDEVASW 2021
IDEVASW 2020
Past Resources 2015-2019:
