The (mis)use of evidence in contested rights: the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls’ report on “prostitution and violence”

Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters Podcast

This episode of the SRHM podcast is a recording of an important webinar hosted by SRHM on the (mis)use of evidence in contested rights on Wednesday 20 November 2024.

In this online event, we heard from the authors of the commentary published in the SRHM Journal ‘The (mis)use of evidence in contested rights: the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls’ report on “prostitution and violence”' and the Global Co-ordinator of The Global Network of Sex Work Projects. The paper is available online and is open access.

Thecommentary raises concerns about the basis on which a recent report on ‘prostitution and violence,’ by a UN human rights expert, rests its arguments. In this webinar, the authors will argue that criminal law which makes both the buying and selling of sex a crime hurts the very people who are most at risk, and that ‘trafficking’ is not the same as ‘sex work’.

In a time where human rights as a space of dignity and freedom are under attack, it is critical to raise these concerns and build the case for good practices to support the future of human rights. Useful links:

• SRHM Commentary: ‘⁠The (mis)use of evidence in contested rights: the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls’ report on “prostitution and violence⁠”' by Susana T Fried, Alice M Miller, Rupsa Mallik, Ivana Radačić & Esteban Restrepo-Saldarriaga