DOCSLIB.ORG

Farley Amendment Proposal to Resolution ACR6 3-27-19

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Farley Amendment Proposal to Resolution ACR6 3-27-19 1 To: Nevada Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections Sandra Jauregui, Chair; Ozzie Fumo, Vice Chair;Skip Daly, William McCurdy, Brittney Miller, Daniele Monroe-Moreno, Selena Torres, John Hambrick, Glen Leavitt, and Tom Roberts, Members Date: March 27, 2019 From: Melissa Farley, Ph.D., San Francisco, Ca. (CV attached) Re: Resolution ACR 6 proposes a "committee to conduct an interim study concerning the health and well-being of workers at licensed brothels." This proposal should be revised to include an interim study concerning the health and well-being of all persons in Nevada prostitution for the following reasons: 1. Legal brothel prostitution is only 10% of Nevada's prostitution. The vast majority of Nevada prostitution is illegal and has been under-studied. 2. There have been previous studies of Nevada legal brothels (Brents, Jackson and Hausbeck, State of Sex, Tourism, Sex, and Sin in the New American Heartland 2009). A 2009 study by Brents and Hausbeck, Violence and Legalized Brothel Prostitution in Nevada: Examining Safety, Risk, and Prostitution Policy investigated the health and well- being of women in the legal brothels. A woman interviewed by Brents and Hausbeck described a near-lethal assault by a customer in a brothel where he cornered and choked her, fracturing her larynx. She stated that she would probably be dead if another woman hadn’t heard the scuffle and broken into her room. I did a 3-year study of the health and well-being of those in legal Nevada brothels supported by a grant from the U.S. State Department (Farley, Prostitution and Trafficking in Nevada: Making the Connections, 2007). I spoke with a 25-year old woman I’ll call Amber in a Nevada brothel who had grown up in a sexually and emotionally abusive family. She had been diagnosed in childhood with a learning disorder. Implying that Amber was defective because she couldn’t read or write, her mother sold 16 year-old Amber into a legal brothel. Her parents then received child welfare payments from social services for her three children. Amber felt that her role in life was to turn tricks. “But they told me I’d be a bad parent,” Amber told me when I brought up the possibility of her leaving the brothel and raising the children herself, with social service payments going to her rather than her parents. The depth of her self-loathing was off the charts. She was deeply convinced that the only way she could do anything for her children, aged 8, 5, and 2 years, was to prostitute and give that money to her parents. Not surprisingly, Amber had been in and out of mental hospitals several times, and when I saw her she was on 9 psychotropic medications including sleeping pills, antidepressants, antianxiety medications, antipsychotics, and drugs to reduce the severe side effects of antipsychotics. 2 Given all the drugs she was on, I was surprised that she could walk and talk. Despite the drugs, she still had symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Most Nevadans have little awareness of the adverse conditions in the legal brothels. We found that 23% of the 45 women who we interviewed in legal brothels had been prostituted as children, that is, they had been trafficked into prostitution. 81% of the women in the brothels would have escaped immediately if they were provided a genuine alternative to prostitution. 47% had been homeless prior to prostitution. 50% told us that most women in the legal brothels had illegal, as well as a legal, pimp. The links between legal and illegal prostitution in Nevada, and the profound harms caused by prostitution in both legal and illegal prostitution are similar to those in other countries where legal prostitution exists. As Brents and Hausbeck pointed out, Nevada’s legal brothel system makes use of “the legacy of other brothel legislation and regulation,” from the Netherlands, Australia, and Germany. We should continue to use research data that is being generated on the consequences of legal prostitution. Writing for the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics in 2017, Rothman concluded that legalization of prostitution in the Netherlands, Germany, and New Zealand did not make prostitution safer from violence or other health risks known to be connected with prostitution. How can we assess the health status of women in both legal and illegal Nevada prostitution? Application of rules, contracts, and oversight/regulation by the State in legal prostitution is erratic and may not be the best way to assess the health and well being of women in the legal brothels. That assessment must be done by independent researchers. For example, during the course of investigating the well being of women in the legal Nevada brothels in 2007, I found that state health insurance coverage specifically excluded harms to their reproductive systems. This is a small example of the ethical and legal complexity of assessing health and well being of an extremely vulnerable population who at the same time are generating massive revenue for both legal and illegal pimps. While legal pimp/brothel owners or managers should be included in a study of contracts, insurance and well being of those in Nevada prostitution - - pimps, owners, and managers should not be permitted to select women to interview and they should not be present during interviews. Interviews should take place without a pimp or managers present at a location outside of the brothel since most brothel rooms have listening devices. Special attention must be paid to the smaller, less well-known Nevada brothels that have tended to refuse entry to researchers. In our previous study of Nevada brothels, 50% of the brothels refused researchers' entry. Those are likely the most dangerous brothels and every attempt should be made to include the women in them. In the 2007 research study O-2 3 of a Nevada brothel, I asked a Czech woman about panic buttons in the rooms. She became apprehensive, explaining, “we’re not allowed to talk about panic buttons.” Czech women are among the most commonly trafficked women in Europe. A study of the health and well-being of women in legal and illegal Nevada prostitution will include standardized measures of interpersonal violence, standardized psychological measures of emotional distress including depression, suicidality, and dissociation. Assessment of physical health should also be conducted using research methodology that meets professional standards. Violations of human rights and human dignity can be assessed using valid research methodology rather than open-ended interviews of women who are selected by pimps. Nevada legal brothels produce a stigmatized class of women - therefore standardized measures of internalized stigma can offer important information regarding their health status. 3 In addition to units of local governments, brothel owners and operators, workers in brothels, a committee to study of the well being of women in prostitution will include not only local but state and federal law enforcement personnel. For example, the FBI found a number of trafficked women in a northern Nevada brothel in the past decade. Pimps who owned and managed that legal brothel were arrested for trafficking and the brothel was shut down. Federal law enforcement should be included in a study of the well being of women in the legal brothels. There are others such as mental health and public health experts, and shelter operators who should be included on the Committee to study the health and well being of brothel workers. Additionally, women who have exited the Nevada legal brothels should also be interviewed. I can supply the Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections with a list of stakeholders who might contribute information to a smaller group of experts on legal and illegal prostitution who would produce a study. I am available to assist in any way that I can. Melissa Farley, Ph.D., Executive Director Prostitution Research & Education, San Francisco [email protected] O-3 4 Melissa Farley, Ph.D. Box 16254, San Francisco CA 94116-0254 [email protected] DEGREES, LICENSES, INTERNSHIPS Ph.D., 1973, University oF Iowa, Counseling Psychology Clinical Psychology Internship approved by American Psychological Association, 1973 M.S., 1966, San Francisco State University, Clinical Psychology B.A., 1964, Mills College, Oakland, CaliFornia Licensed to practice psychology in CaliFornia Member, Psychologists For Social Responsibility Dr. Farley has practiced as a clinical psychologist for 50 years. She brings that experience to her consultations with agencies, governments, and advocates for prostituted and trafficked women. She has articulated the harms of prostitution, pornography, and trafficking as an expert witness in forensic evaluations. She has been categorized as a legal expert on the effects of sexual violence against women and children, posttraumatic stress disorder, dissociation, prostitution, and trafficking. In 2013 she received the Innovative Demand Reduction Program award from Global Centurion/Norma Hotaling Awards. Melissa Farley has written 35 peer-reviewed articles on prostitution and traFFicking, and 2 books, Prostitution, Trafficking & Traumatic Stress (2004) and Prostitution and Trafficking in Nevada: Making the Connections (2007). Her research has been used by governments in South AFrica, Canada, France, Cambodia, New Zealand, Ghana, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States For education and policy development on prostitution and traFFicking. Dr. Farley has spoken at and keynoted a number of conferences on the topic of prostitution and trafficking. She has a wide range of experience in teaching and consultation. Dr. Farley has provided consultation as an expert on the harm of prostitution to the Medical Examining Board of the State of California, in 2002. She has provided psychological evaluations of prostituted young women in California, Florida, and Illinois. She conducted a forensic evaluation of a woman trafficked into the United States from Asia. The civil case was settled.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • General Assembly Distr
    UNITED NATIONS A General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/HRC/11/6/Add.1 26 May 2009 ENGLISH/FRENCH/SPANISH ONLY HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Eleventh session Agenda item 3 PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Ertürk* Addendum COMMUNICATIONS TO AND FROM GOVERNMENTS** * The report was submitted late in order to reflect the most recent information. ** The report is being circulated in the languages of submission only as it greatly exceeds the page limitations currently imposed by the relevant General Assembly resolutions. GE.09-13435 (E) 090609 A/HRC/11/6/Add.1 page 2 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1 - 3 4 II. OVERVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS .......................................... 4 - 10 4 III. COMMUNICATIONS SENT AND GOVERNMENT REPLIES RECEIVED ....................................................................... 11 - 671 6 Afghanistan ........................................................................................ 12 - 24 7 Bahrain ............................................................................................... 25 - 43 8 Brazil .................................................................................................. 44 - 46 11 Canada ............................................................................................... 47 - 64 11 Colombia
    [Show full text]
  • COURT CASE SUMMARIES These Court Case Narratives Were Provided by Member States
    GLOBAL REPORT ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 2020 COLLECTION OF COURT CASE SUMMARIES These court case narratives were provided by Member States. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNODC, and nor does it imply any endorsement. DISCLAIMER The texts presented in this document comprise court case narratives provided by Member States between 2010 and 2020 which were used for analysis in the Global Report on Trafficking of Persons 2020. The court case narratives were compiled and provided by Member States. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNODC. In order to protect the identity of the persons mentioned in the cases, direct identifiers were removed from the original text and the cases anonymized. Legend: • Victim 1: In original text, victims may be identified through their initials, depending on other contextual details given. Their names and initials were deleted and replaced with “Victim”. Victims were numbered in order of appearance in the file. • Offender 1: In original text, Offenders may be identified by full names or initials. Their names and initials were deleted and replaced with “Offender”. Offenders were given numbers in order of appearance in the file. • Person 1: In original text, persons not considered as a victim or offender were mentioned in the narrative e.g. uninvolved family members; neighbour; etc. Their names and initials were deleted and replaced with “Person”. Persons were given numbers in order of appearance in the file. • Restaurant X, Bar Y, Shop Z: In the original text, locations such as restaurants, bars and shops were named.
    [Show full text]
  • The Problem of Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan
    CARIM EAST – CONSORTIUM FOR APPLIED RESEARCH ON INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION Co-fi nanced by the European Union The Problem of Human Traffi cking in Azerbaijan Arif Yunusov CARIM-East Explanatory Note 13/61 Demographic-Economic Module May, 2013 © 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be distributed, quoted or reproduced in any form without permission from the CARIM East Project. The problem of human trafficking plays a significant role in migration flows from Azerbaijan. It was first addressed at the beginning of the early 1990s. The mass unemployment that followed the collapse of the USSR and the Karabakh conflict with Armenia led to the emergence of informal “slave markets” in the centre of the capital city, Baku, in the mid-1990s (in Azeri “gyl bazari”). These were gathering places for unemployed men, mostly refugees and internally displaced persons, who were prepared to take up any jobs, including jobs that involved forms of enslavement. At that time, a number of publications appeared in the national media documenting the trafficking of men, as well as women and children, from Azerbaijan, for the purposes of forced labour and enslavement (Yunusov, 194). However, such occurrences were perceived as an inevitable consequence of the unresolved Karabakh conflict and of “temporary” economic and social turmoil. Most importantly, these were of episodic character and so, did not attract much attention. The socio-economic situation in the country continued to deteriorate, and this had a certain impact on women. In the late 1990s, the four male “slave markets” in the capital were joined by a fifth “female slave market” (in Azeri “gadin gyl bazar”).
    [Show full text]
  • Sex Work Legal Frameworks in CEECA, SWAN
    SEX WORK LEGAL FRAMEWORKS in Central-Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) Briefing paper THE SEX WORKERS’ RIGHTS ADVOCACY NETWORK (SWAN) In Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Bertalan Lajos u. 22. fsz.6. Budapest, H-1111, Hungary Phone: +36 1 787 6267 Fax: +36 1 782 2199 www.swannet.org [email protected] THE SEX WORKERS’ RIGHTS ADVOCACY NETWORK (SWAN) is a network of 24 civil society organizatons in 17 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia advocatng for the human rights of female, male and transgender sex workers. SWAN member organizatons work with or are led-by sex workers and sex worker leadership is an organizing principle of the network. SWAN was founded in 2006 and was ofcially registered as the SWAN Foundaton in January of 2012. SEX WORK LEGAL FRAMEWORKS in Central-Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) Briefng paper Copyright©SWAN 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 5 A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEX WORK LAWS AND POLICIES IN THE REGION ... 7 ADMINISTRATIVE AND CRIMINAL PROVISIONS ON SEX WORK ............ 12 Sex workers .......................................................................................... 13 Clients ................................................................................................... 20 Third parties .......................................................................................... 21 FURTHER LEGAL PROVISIONS IMPACTING SEX WORKERS ................... 24 Public health
    [Show full text]
  • The Study on Rehabilitation Process of Victims of Human Trafficking and Analysis of Financial Resourсes Allocated for Purpose Combat Human Trafficking in Azerbaijan
    ЕКОНОМІЧНА НАУКА UDC 339.194; 339.727.244; 344.012 Nazarova Gulnar R., defender of thesis, Scientific Research and Training Center on Labour and Social Problems, Baku, Azerbaijan THE STUDY ON REHABILITATION PROCESS OF VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL RESOURСES ALLOCATED FOR PURPOSE COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN AZERBAIJAN Назарова Гюльнар Р., докторант, НИУЦ по труду и социальным проблемам, Баку, Азербайджан ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ СОЦИАЛЬНОЙ РЕАБИЛИТАЦИИ ЖЕРТВ ТОРГОВЛИ ЛЮДЬМИ И АНАЛИЗ ФИНАНСОВЫХ РЕСУРСОВ ВЫДЕЛЕННЫХ ДЛЯ ЦЕЛИ БОРЬБЫ С ТОРГОВЛЕЙ ЛЮДЬМИ В АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНЕ Article 3, paragraph (a) of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime specifies that "Trafficking in persons" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, exploitation of prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or removal of organs. The most prevalent forms and causes of trafficking in human beings — identification of the gender of a victim, assistance and social rehabilitation measures to and for victims, ensuring confidentiality of victims — has been studied in the article. The survey was conducted between 4 experts and ultimately provide recommendations to combat human trafficking.
    [Show full text]
  • Country Narratives
    COUNTRY NARRATIVES Country narratives 55 aware that they are carrying explosives that are then set aFGHANISTAN off remotely without their knowledge. some child soldiers (tier 2 Watch List) used by insurgent groups were sexually exploited. Boys are sometimes promised enrollment in islamic schools in afghanistan is a source, transit, and destination country Pakistan and iran, but instead are trafficked to camps for for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in paramilitary training by extremist groups. persons, specifically forced labor and forced prostitution. trafficking within afghanistan is more prevalent than the Government of afghanistan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of AFGHANISTAN transnational trafficking, and the majority of victims are children. afghan boys and girls are trafficked within the trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts country for forced prostitution and forced labor in brick to do so. Despite these efforts, such as the continued kilns, carpet-making factories, and domestic service. referral of identified trafficking victims to care facilities, Forced begging is a growing problem in afghanistan; the government did not show evidence of increasing Mafia groups organize professional begging rings. afghan efforts over the previous year. specifically, the afghan boys are subjected to forced prostitution and forced government did not prosecute or convict trafficking labor in the drug smuggling industry in Pakistan and offenders under its 2008 law, and punished victims iran. afghan women and girls are subjected to forced of sex trafficking with imprisonment for adultery or prostitution, forced marriages—including through prostitution. afghanistan is therefore placed on tier 2 forced marriages in which husbands force their wives Watch List.
    [Show full text]
  • An Ethnography of an Ex-Sex Worker
    THOSE IN THE BOTTOM: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF AN EX-SEX WORKER By Volkan SarÕtaú Thesis submitted to Central European University Department of Gender Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Supervisor: Anna Loutfi CEU eTD Collection Budapest, Hungary 2009 ABSTRACT In an attempt to constitute a mediatory link to understanding the autobiographical narrative of Ayúe Tükrükçü, in this thesis, I tried to show the numerous complex aspects of her narrative. The main argument is that Ayúe Tükrükçü recounts what I call “a narrative of victimhood” to be able to open up “a political, social and personal space” for her to speak up today. The position of victimhood enables her to get –though to a very little extent- access to material and financial sources as well as a certain status in terms of social and political recognition. Yet, in doing this, Ayúe takes the dominant and mainstream ideological tenets and translates them into her personal narrative and vocabulary. In this thesis, I argue that this is not a passive translation. Her ability to highlight the ironies in the sex-gender system in Turkey as well as the political implementation of it despite her use and fluency in being part of this system points out to something: Ayúe’s narrative is a pragmatic as well as political mockery of this sex-gender system in Turkey. CEU eTD Collection i Table of Contents ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................i Table of Contents
    [Show full text]
  • Trafficking in Women from Ukraine
    The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: Document Title: Trafficking in Women From Ukraine Author(s): Donna M. Hughes ; Tatyana Denisova Document No.: 203275 Date Received: December 2003 Award Number: 2000-IJ-CX-0007 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded grant final report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Trafficking in Women from Ukraine Donna M. Hughes University of Rhode Island And Tatyana Denisova FINAL REPORT l/il ,,d; Zaporizhia State University Approved By: Date: .h+qL.-- Research Associates: Sergey Denisov, Zaporizhia Academy of Law; Sergey Demenko, Zaporizhia State University; Victoria Palchenkova, Zaporizhia State University, Volodimir Bilkun, Zaporizhia State University Research Assistants: Paul Serdyuk, Zaporizhia State University; Kelly Brooks, University of Rhode Island; Amy Potenza, University of Rhode Island Translators: Kate Zuzina, Rule of Law, Kyiv; Svetlana Chujan, Zaporizhia State University This research was carried out as part of the U.S. Ukraine Research Partnership as part of an agreement between the International Center of the U. S. National Institute of Justice and the Ukrainian Academy of Legal Sciences. 2002 I Table of Contents
    [Show full text]
  • Women, Equality, and the Federal Marriage Amendment Comille S
    Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law Volume 20 | Issue 2 Article 11 3-1-2006 Women, Equality, and the Federal Marriage Amendment Comille S. Williams Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/jpl Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Family Law Commons, and the Law and Gender Commons Recommended Citation Comille S. Williams, Women, Equality, and the Federal Marriage Amendment, 20 BYU J. Pub. L. 487 (2006). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/jpl/vol20/iss2/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by BYU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law by an authorized editor of BYU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Women, Equality, and the Federal Marriage Amendment Camille S. Williams∗ I. INTRODUCTION Marriage and the marital family1 are arguably the only important social institutions in which women have always been necessary participants. “The marital alliance is fundamentally a reproductive alliance: [r]ecognized marriage has invariably been restricted to heterosexual couples, and the relationship categories that proscribe marriage in any particular society are generally coincident with those that proscribe sexual relations,” state Margo Wilson and Martin Daly in their evolutionary treatment of marriage.2 Because marriage has been and is a reproductive alliance, the logic of women as necessary participants is obvious: it takes a woman to make a baby. We have no knowledge of any society in which same-sex “marriage” has been practiced, until very recently.3 We do not yet know the ∗ Administrative Director, Marriage & Family Law Research Grant, J.
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents
    A Form of Slavery: Trafficking in Women in OSCE Member States Report to the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting On Trafficking in Human Beings Vienna, 19 June 2000 International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) Preface This report is based on information gathered by regional coordinators and local rapporteurs participating in the IHF “Project to Investigate the Status of Women’s Human Rights in Eastern Europe and the N.I.S”, which is supported by the Ford Foundation and undertaken in cooperation with affiliated Helsinki Committees and other local human rights NGOs. The IHF project gathers data on the basis of a questionnaire that includes, but is not limited to, trafficking in women. The original questions in the questionnaire were broadened to enable us to present comprehensive information. Although the answers are based on the same questionnaire, some country responses are longer than others. This reflects the fact that information is more easily accessible in certain countries than others and highlights the need for more research in this field. The following issues are addressed: • Criminal legislation; • Factors that contribute to and determine the reality of trafficking; • Principal recruiting methods; • The practice of reporting; • Governmental policies and NGO programs; • Special initiatives to return trafficked women; • Available support services; and • Pending or completed research on the topic. Introduction by Renate Weber, Director of the Open Society Foundation in Romania and Director of the IHF’s Women’s Project Compiled and edited by Nicole Watson, IHF The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) is a non-governmental organization which monitors compliance with the human rights provisions of the Helsinki Final Act and its follow-up documents.
    [Show full text]
  • PUBLIC SCANDALS: Sexual Orientation and Criminal Law in Romania
    PUBLIC SCANDALS: Sexual Orientation and Criminal Law in Romania (ADVANCE COPY) A report by Human Rights Watch and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission New York A Washington A London A Brussels Copyright 8 January 1998 by Human Rights Watch and IGLHRC All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 1-56432-178-9 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-84053 Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Human Rights Watch conducts regular, systematic investigations of human rights abuses in some seventy countries around the world. Our reputation for timely, reliable disclosures has made us an essential source of information for those concerned with human rights. We address the human rights practices of governments of all political stripes, of all geopolitical alignments, and of all ethnic and religious persuasions. Human Rights Watch defends freedom of thought and expression, due process and equal protection of the law, and a vigorous civil society; we document and denounce murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, discrimination, and other abuses of internationally recognized human rights. Our goal is to hold governments accountable if they transgress the rights of their people.
    [Show full text]
  • Selling Sex in Istanbul
    chapter 11 Selling Sex in Istanbul Mark David Wyers Introduction Historically, prostitution has always existed in Istanbul, which was the capi- tal of the Ottoman Empire and is situated on the Bosphorus Strait between the Black Sea and Marmara Sea, but the most salient feature of sold sex there may well be the silence that often surrounds it. Unlike in many other European countries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the issue of prostitution was never incorporated into vocal and influential feminist movements as a symbol of the oppression of women in Turkey. Of course, while there was a bur- geoning women’s movement in Istanbul in the late Ottoman Empire and early Republic of Turkey (which was founded in 1923), and while there were isolated calls for the abolition of regulated prostitution, women’s lobbying power over state policy did not materialize until quite recently and even now it is limited; and, as sex work in Turkey has long been a taboo issue, an ngo dedicated to the support of sex workers was not founded until the mid-2000s. Consequent- ly, since it is largely such organizations that carry out research on prostitution, there is a relative lack of source material available for the researcher for more recent times regarding sold sex. In academia, there has been a similar silence; only in the past five years or so has the subject begun to receive scholarly atten- tion from historians. Additionally, the state committee responsible for oversee- ing the system of licensed sex work in Istanbul does not share its data for the most part and there is a lack of governmental transparency, particularly under the current conservative ruling party which is self-avowedly dedicated to pro- moting “family values” over women’s (and workers’) rights.
    [Show full text]