International Day for the Protection of Sex Workers from Violence and Cruelty (17/12)

Every year since 2003, December 17 has been celebrated in different countries as the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, initiated by the international organization «Network of Organizations Advocating for the Rights of Sex Workers » (Sex Workers’ Rights Advocacy Network, SWAN).

This date, designed to draw public attention to the problems associated with cruelty and violence that sex workers are often subjected to, has its own tradition, called the «March of the Red Umbrellas. On this day, everyone who cares about the problem of discrimination against sex workers takes to the streets with red umbrellas.

The red umbrella is a symbol of protection against cruelty towards women working in the sex industry by law enforcement, employers, clients and society. The red umbrella as a symbol of resistance first appeared in 2001 in Venice at the First World Congress of Sex Workers.

At this congress, representatives from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the USA, Italy, Germany and other countries talked about how they fight for the civil rights of sex workers. And then representatives of the oldest profession walked through the streets of Venice with red umbrellas and megaphones, drawing public attention to the problem of human rights violations.

Since 2005, the International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe began to use the red umbrella as a symbol of resistance to discrimination. «The Red Umbrella March», having originated as an idea, every year becomes an increasingly global symbol of the rights of workers in this area. And the holiday itself is celebrated in more and more countries.

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