XIX International AIDS Conference (Hub) 2012, Kolkata,

Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC) is hosting the XIX international Conference Hub, 2012 in partnership with Global Network of Sex Workers Project (NSWP) and All India Network of Sex Workers (AINSW) to commemorate 20 years of the completion of Sonagachi Intervention Programme the most successful sex workers’ led HIV Intervention program in the Globe.

Background of DMSC:

DMSC is a sex workers’ organization representing 65 thousand sex workers male, female and transgender in the state of West Bengal, India. DMSC have been running HIV intervention program in 51 sex worker sites in the state of West Bengal since last two decades. I addition to Health program DMSC is engaged in several other development activities to help improve the quality of life of sex workers and their children. DMSC is also engaged with other unorganized labor in the countries.  

The sex workers collective in Kolkata also run Cooperative Society which has a membership of more than seventeen thousands with an annual turnover of Rs. 15 crore.

DMSC also has created its cultural wing called Komal Gandhar through which the organ propagate and carry out campaign program to promote and protect rights of the sex workers in addition to other relevant issues pertaining to health, education, microcredit etc for the sex workers and their children.

DMSC has introduced and unique concept of self regulatory Board (SRB) what has been implemented in 30 red-light districts in West Bengal to combat trafficking and entry of minor in the sex trade. DMSC has successfully removed around 900 minor and unwilling girls from the sex trade through this SRB’s which are chaired by the representative of the local Govt. and managed by the sex workers’ collective.

 

The objective of the conference: Based on the above mentioned theme various sessions of the conference have been designed to focus on rights related issues and its underlying relationship with the HIV transmission as well as its impact on the HIV Intervention Program.

No of sessions: Multiple sessions will run parallely in four auditoriums. There are abstract-driven presentations, symposia, skill building workshops and interactive sessions where community leaders will engage with the technical experts in the field. The satellite communications which will be live and recorded, between the Conferences of Washington D.C and Kolkata in all six days.

What is Global Village: The Global Village will house events and activities where participants could interact and exchange their views and share their experience and emotion round the clock. In addition to all these formal sessions participants shall share spaces for informal meeting and networking. Throughout the conference cultural events will be organized which will highlight cultural heritage of countries representing six continents.

Participants of the Conference: There will be around 900 participants representing 27 countries and from all the continents. Representative from around 30 sex workers organizations all across the Globe will participate in the conference in addition to technical expert, policy makers, donors and representatives from UN agencies.

Highlight of the Conference: The theme of the conference is “Freedom Festival of sex workers”. As the rights of sex workers are often denied by most of the countries,through this conference sex workers are keen to highlight following issues:

·         Freedom to choose one’s own occupation

·         Freedom for free movement

·         Freedom for participation including representation in policy making bodies in Government and other institutions.

·         Freedom of expression

·         Freedom from stigma and discrimination

·         Freedom from violence

Important sessions: There are sessions centering on development of policy framework for sex workers, HIV intervention program. Role of legislation and policies in program development session focusing violence and community led anti trafficking program, economic security to sex workers would be an important session. Another area of interest would be to discuss and share on experience on community led process in development programs including HIV.

The conference would highlight the success of National program including its community led approaches what helped in curving transmission of HIV in India. There are session which will bring about the impact of community mobilization and ownership building in HIV programming. Another objective of the conference would be to showcase successes of ownership building of the marginalized communities to address HIV epidemic e.g. sex workers, IDU’s, MSM and others.

 

Follow-up of the Conference: Unlike in many other conferences, what often ends in sharing information and experiences, this conference shall focus on crystallizing policy issues centering on rights and social justice of the marginalized communities and its implication in health interventions. Sex workers network participating in the Conference would develop a long term plan of action to decriminalize Sex Work and prevent various attempts to conflate trafficking with the sex work and stress on full recognition of Male, female and transgender who are in sex work. The policy guidelines thus developed through these interactions would be documented followed by its dissemination. The Global, Regional or National sex workers’ network will develop strategy to champion these policies in subsequent meetings and programmes to influence Government, Donors and UN Bodies.