SOPHIE
Lastnik projekta: Volkshilfe Wien
Odgovorna oseba: Mag. Eva van Rahden
2010
1,000 Euro Prize
AT
Civilna družba / Socialno gospodarstvo
Revščina
Raznolikost
Drugo
What is it about?
A place just for working female prostitutes or former sex workers, where counselling in social and legal matters, crisis intervention, advice on securing a livelihood, right of residence and aliens law have been offered in the respective mother tongue since 2003; the aim is for sex workers to learn to demand their rights. If they wish to change careers, they are supported with career planning or job training; there are also computer-cafes, workshops and public relations. Contacts with the sex workers, the majority of whom come from the new EU countries, are also established via outreach work. The objective is to “expand the scope of action of sex workers within and outside sex work”.
Pohvala žirije
Low-threshold, anonymous, mother tongue, accepting. Irrespective of whether or not the women are providing sexual services (anymore), whether or not they want to do something else, the Place of Education for Sex Workers establishes trust. An exclusive place makes discrimination visible and facilitates the discussion of problems. Specialised and socio-politically targeted public relations also aim to increase sex workers’ public scope of action. And if they know their rights and obligations, they may want to successfully fight for these – vis-à-vis the authorities, punters and the police. May their scope of action continue to be enlarged!