The Parliament of the Australian state of Queensland passed a bill on Thursday to decriminalise sex work. The Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 also includes new offences against child prostitution and coercion to perform sex work. The Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath stated that “sex workers should not have to [...]
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Iraq criminalizes same sex relationships and transgender individuals
The Iraqi Council of Representatives passed a law Saturday criminalizing same sex relationships and transgender individuals. The law has garnered widespread criticism from human rights groups and diplomats across the world. The Anti-Prostitution and Homosexuality Law amends a previous law from 1988. It provides prison sentences and fines for most of its offenses. Anyone convicted [...]
UN report calls for UK to take 'urgent action' to combat violence against women and girls
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, published a statement on Wednesday calling for the UK government to take “urgent action” to end all forms of violence against women and girls. The UK government invited Alsalem to visit the country after labeling violence against women and girls a “national threat” [...]
US DOJ files lawsuit against Tennessee over allegedly discriminatory prostitution law
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against the state of Tennessee on Thursday seeking the invalidation of a law criminalizing “aggravated” prostitution citing the discriminatory impacts of its elevated penalties on those convicted of prostitution if they are HIV positive. The lawsuit also seeks expungement of state registries related to the law’s enforcement [...]
ECHR finds Greece violated private life rights of HIV-positive sex workers
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday in O.G. and Others v. Greece that Greece violated the right to respect for private life of HIV-positive sex workers. Greece imposed blood tests on Greek sex workers and publicly disseminated their personal data upon the order of a prosecutor in 2012. The ECHR unanimously identified two [...]
Netherlands police arrest Syrian refugee suspected of crimes against humanity
Dutch police arrested a 55-year-old Syrian refugee on Friday in the town of Druten in the province of Gelderland on suspicion of crimes against humanity, including complicity in torture and sexual violence in Syria during the civil war. This is the first time that the Netherlands has accused someone of committing crimes against humanity. The [...]
EU Parliament adopts resolution against decriminalization of prostitution
The European Parliament passed a resolution against the decriminalization of prostitution on Sunday. The resolution, titled European Parliament resolution of 14 September 2023 on the regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights, stated that EU member states have an obligation “to promote an inclusive society [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday upheld a law that combats online child sex trafficking called the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA). The case is an appeal from the US District Court for the District of Columbia. Circuit Judge Patricia [...]
Maine governor signs bill partially decriminalizing prostitution
Maine Governor Janet Mills signed a bill into law on Monday that partially decriminalizes prostitution in the state. Legislative Document (LD) 1435, called An Act to Reduce Commercial Sexual Exploitation, amends existing law to remove all references to prostitution. Instead, the new law criminalizes commercial sexual exploitation, which is a Class E crime carrying a maximum penalty [...]
US sanctions South Sudan officials for conflict-related sexual violence
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Tuesday that it was sanctioning two South Sudanese officials involved in conflict-related sexual violence. The two officials, General James Nando and Governor Alfred Futuyo, were added to OFAC’s specially-designated nationals list for South Sudan, which blocks their access to any US assets and [...]