Programs

Projects/Programs

MSWA's Main Programmatic Focus

Ending all forms of stigma, discrimination, and violence against sex workers

  • Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to tackle stigma and discrimination through collaborative research, policy review, and stakeholder engagement.
  • Implement a comprehensive approach to reduce stigma and discrimination through education, peer support, and tailored interventions.
  • Partner with organizations managing safe spaces and shelters for sex workers seeking refuge from violence and abuse.

Supporting the recognition of sex work as work

  • Develop initiatives to improve sex worker wellbeing and rights through monitoring, education, and awareness campaigns.
  • Collaborate with sex worker organizations to promote positive media representation and advocate for legal recognition.
  • Empower sex workers through media training and policy development.

Distinguishing between sex work and forced labour/trafficking

  • Conduct research and advocate for policy differentiation between consensual sex work and trafficking.
  • Educate the public and stakeholders about the distinction between consensual sex work and trafficking.
  • Establish peer education and support networks for sex workers.
  • Develop tailored support services, including legal support and representation for sex workers and trafficking victims.

Supporting the decriminalization of sex work

  • Assess the impact of legislation, regulation and policy on equal access and barriers to healthcare for sex workers.
  • Engage with stakeholders to discuss laws that indirectly perpetuate stigma.

Providing sex worker-led and centered SRH rights and programming

  • Conduct surveillance, behavioral and prevention research to inform new initiatives and programs.
  • Develop peer-led testing models supported by community education.
  • Partner with stakeholders to develop a framework for optimal testing types and access points.
  • Develop integrated models of care for sex workers.
  • Assess the impact of legislation, regulation, and policies on healthcare access and address barriers.

Supporting sex workers' leadership, community empowerment, and organizational sustainability

  • Support community-led research to identify behavioral changes and measure outcomes.
  • Deliver leadership training and professional development for the peer-led workforce.
  • Provide training for law enforcement, healthcare providers, and community workers on respectful interactions with sex workers.
  • Support media skills training for sex workers to enable self-advocacy.
  • Create programs offering financial literacy, entrepreneurship training, and business development support.

Supporting the integration of sex workers into feminist movements

  • Facilitate networking opportunities between sex worker organisations and broader human rights groups.
  • Support and coordinate events fostering solidarity among sex workers in partnership with feminist organisations.

MSWA's Programmatic Strategies

MSWA's strategy for any project involves three approaches:

  • Sex worker-led, community empowerment approaches
  • Multi-sectoral coordination
  • Institutionalization of partnership with women-led and sex worker-led organizations

These strategies build upon each other to achieve results through community-empowerment strategies, enabling sex workers to lead implementation and decision-making of programs.

Sex-worker-led, community-based empowerment strategies have proven successful and cost-effective in reducing the prevalence of HIV and violence among sex workers.

MSWA uses a human rights-based approach and participatory methods in all its work, promoting the human rights of sex workers and their active participation in decision-making processes.