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«3 March: International Sex Workers' Rights Day» Joint statement by organizations working with and for trans communities. 3 March marks the anniversary of the historic march launched by thousands of sex workers in India in 2001 to demand their rights! Today, from Türkiye, we salute the legacy of that struggle. March 3 is not merely a date on the calendar; it symbolizes a global voice raised for the recognition of sex workers' labor, for working conditions free from violence, and for the demand for equal citizenship. Yet we commemorate this meaningful day amid acute rights violations in Türkiye, intensified under the declaration of the “Year of t he Family” which directly targets the living and working spaces of sex workers. Today, sex workers are subjected to systematic repression under vague justifications such as “public morality” and “public order”. Over the past year, this regime of pressure in Türkiye has evolved into a process in which arbitrary home sealings have become normalized, judicial harassment and open targeting have increased, and allegations of ‘obscenity’ have been transformed into systematic tools of punishment for sex workers. Our constitutional right to housing is being violated through unlawful home sealings; sex workers pushed onto the streets are exposed to economic violence through arbitrary and unjust administrative fines imposed under the Misdemeanors Law. Efforts to exist and create working spaces in digital spheres are also criminalized; social media posts and online communication activities are used as grounds for investigations and prosecutions under claims of “obscenity” and “immorality”, keeping sex workers under constant threat of judicial harassment. These punitive practices not only push sex workers into deeper poverty but also render them unprotected and vulnerable to hate crimes, physical violence, and systematic abuse. For trans sex workers, these violations intersect with social exclusion and employment discrimination, resulting in even harsher isolation and life-threatening risks. As organizations working with and for trans communities, we firmly assert that sex workers are entitles to full and equal rights, and that our labor must be legally recognized and protected. The closure of safe working spaces, the sealing of brothels, and policies that force people into unregistered and precarious work disregard occupational safety and endanger our lives. We raise our voices against all arbitrary and unlawful practices, against stigmatizing language, and against impunity policies that fuel violence. On this March 3, we once again declare: In the face of criminalization and isolation, our greatest strength is our organized struggle and solidarity. We will continue to defend one another's rights and stand shoulder to shoulder in courts, in the streets, and in every sphere of life. We will not give up our right to and desire for an equal, just, and violence-free life. For our rights and our lives, we stand side by side! --- • Pink Life LGBTI+ Solidarity Association. • Red Umbrella Sexual Health and Human Rights Association. • 20 November Association Against Hate Crimes. • Mersin LGTB 7 Colors Research and Solidarity Association. • Kapsama Alanı. Signatory International Organizations: • SWAN: The Sex Workers' Rights Advocacy Network. • ESWA: European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance. • Red Umbrella Athens.
March 3, 2026 at 10:00 PM