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International Sex Workers' Day 2024: Date, history, significance and all that you need to know
International Sex Workers' Day 2024: From date to significance, here's all that you need to know about this important day.
International Sex Workers' Day 2024: Sex workers often work under difficult conditions. They are exploited and are made to live with troubling health conditions. Every year, International Sex Workers' Day is observed to raise awareness about the health and working conditions faced by the sex workers of the world. Sex workers are often exposed to exploitation by various types of people. This can further lead to severe challenges, often turning fatal for them. The day reinstates the importance of healthy working conditions for the sex workers and how we can come together to ensure that they are respected. As we gear up to observe the special day, here are a few things that we should know.
Date:
Every year, International Sex Workers' Day is observed on June 2. This year, International Sex Workers' Day falls on Sunday.
History:
In 1975, on June 2, around 100 sex workers gathered at Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France to start a conversation regarding the exploiting working and living conditions. They also launched a media campaign to express their grievances. This soon led to national and international conversations. The sex workers started an eight-day-long strike where they put forward their demands, including reopening of hotels where they worked, seeking an end to police brutality and urging investigation into the murders of multiple sex workers. Even though the police did not give in to the demands and the church was cleared after eight days without any law reform, this incident started the spart that ignited many movements in Europe and UK.
Significance:
Sex workers deserve healthy living and working conditions. They are often exploited in their profession. Sex workers are also prone to get exposed to many diseases. International Sex Workers' Day creates awareness about the challenges faced by sex workers across the world and initiates conversations on how we can come together to help them.
