Last month APNSW members decided to paint a mural to represent the problems sex workers have with GFATM programmes but also to give ideas for how they can be fixed so that GFATM money is used responsibly and ethically on programmes addressing sex work and HIV.
Left side of the banner is the way programmes run now.
The sex worker (organisation) is a puppet. It shows her collecting all the paper work for GF programmes as her main activity. she is also treated as a target and carries an STI Test book, which records the results of the compulsory STI and HIV tests funded by the Global Fund.
Further to the left, is the Evil Elf, which represents the INGOs and UN organizations who are involved in all of this programming but just end up stealing sex workers power and (mis)appropriating the money for sex worker HIV Programmes
Behind the Elf is a road delivering GF money, but bags of it are falling off to all the wrong places.
There is an intersection with a sign post, but the remaining money goes to token pecs and compulsory testing and no money gets to the projects run by sex workers.
On right hand side is how things can be if sex workers are allowed to run our own programmes rather than being passive recipients and targets.
If GF will,allow us to,cut the puppet strings then the puppet turns into a multi armed angel,winged goddess who can deliver Value For Money- something we as sex workers know about and deliver to our clients daily!
So if,community is empowered and directly funded we can deliver for the people.
Small amounts of money used to nurture the grass roots lead,to huge outcomes growing.
If we work on principles based on the right to health then we can work,together instead of having to fight with all,the agencies and organizations who should be working with us.
In about 10 different languages a few key messages are written by sex workers from those countries.
Sex work is work
My body is mine, not the governments
My body is my business
No compulsory testing
Sex workers have human rights.
Could you share a larger version of the mural image? Nice art work!
try here | http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=327508667262912&set=a.220466724633774.70231.220412237972556&type=3&theater
Thank you very much.
Lovely picture, interesting story. I know it’s a pain, but could you try to cut the acronyms to cater for ignoramuses like moi?. I Googled GFATM so now I know.
But thanks for the post.