Our core values and commitments
The right to live free from violence is a human right
MSWA is committed to promoting and protecting the human rights of sex workers to live free from violence, abuse, stigma, and discrimination across the Asia region and worldwide.
Sex work is work and it should be safe
MSWA affirms the agency and self-determination of people in sex work from a labor perspective, viewing sex work as legitimate work that must be recognized with full access to labor rights and protections.
Autonomy, ownership, and self-determination
MSWA is rooted in the principle of self-determination, and is committed to developing, strengthening, and funding community-owned initiatives through national sex worker organizations, such that capacity is firmly rooted within the community.
Advocate for decriminalization
MSWA opposes the criminalization of sex work and works to end all forms of legal oppression and social injustice generated by the criminalization of our industry and workforce.
Intersectional praxis
MSWA is committed to leaving no one behind and aims to empower sex-working people subjected to the most acute marginalization and exclusion resulting from the compounding impacts of multiple oppressions.
Rights-based
MSWA calls for a rights-based approach in the development and implementation of laws, policies, guidelines, and programming that impact sex worker communities. We encourage all Mekong governments, and governments worldwide, to implement a human rights framework to establish law, policy, and practice that is evidence-based and respects sex workers' rights.
Accountable
MSWA is committed to transparent and accountable financial and decision-making processes for our community, allies, donors, and stakeholders.
MSWA Team Members
Meet the dedicated professionals behind MSWA's mission
Dr. Melissa Hope Ditmore
Melissa Hope Ditmore specializes in issues of gender, development, health, and human rights, particularly as they relate to marginalized populations like sex workers, migrants, trafficked persons, and people who use drugs. She has worked with the Global Fund, UNAIDS, the Asia Development Bank, the International Council of Aids Service Organizations, Nawara Women's Network for the Middle East and North Africa, Aids Fonds Nederland, Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW), and the Urban Justice Center. She has extensive experience working on projects in the United States, Asia, and Africa. Her doctoral training in Sociology and behavioral science training makes her particularly qualified for community-based and participatory research projects.
Email: melissa@nomadcode.com
Phone: +1 (347)733-5058
Habibur Rahman
Habibur Rahman has more than 25 years of experience establishing and leading comprehensive nationwide HIV prevention, care, and support services for sex workers in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Most recently Habib served as APNSW Program Manager, following ten years as the Director of the Targeted Outreach Program (TOP) in Population Services International (PSI) Myanmar. Having worked with sex worker community-based organizations and networks in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Nepal, Laos, and Vietnam, Habib has a proven track record in engaging and mobilizing populations at risk, fundraising, and managing grants for HIV projects and programs. He has worked directly with programs supported by the Global Fund (GFATM), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNAIDS, UNFPA, USAID, Red Umbrella Fund, RCNF, MAC AIDS Foundation, and many other small and big donors across the world.
Email: habib121969@gmail.com
Phone: +66 928701177
Rachel Kerstein
Rachel Kerstein is an independent human rights researcher-activist with 10 years of experience working with community-based organizations (CBOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to preserve the rights and dignity of communities impacted by state non-state violence, forced migration, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). With regional expertise and previous work in the Asia Pacific, Rachel specializes in issues of gender justice, workers' rights, and the right to free movement of marginalized, stigmatized, and criminalized communities. Projects include work with the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Solidarity Center South Asia Regional Office. Rachel's current research agenda examines critical conditions driving the success of grassroots human rights movements in cultivating community protection strategies and achieving political demands.
Email: rhkerstein@gmail.com
Phone: +17206557937
Mekong Country Representatives
A representative from a sex worker organization in each Mekong country will work closely with the MSWA secretariat team.
| Country | Name | Organization | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambodia | ||||
| Laos PDR | Bouakham Sythavong | ADPWL | bouakham.sythavong@gmail.com | +856 0205528751 |
| Myanmar | Aye Thidar | TOP Centre | athidar@lanpyakyel.org | +959 969906314 |
| Vietnam | Do Thuy An My | VNSW | Vnsw2012@gmail.com | +84 795 565 034 |