By: Masha Medvedkov, Posted: Sep 17 09

Regions: Global, Macedonia FYR

Issues: Discrimination, Labor, Rape and sexual abuse, Violence against women

Tags: HOPS, human rights, police brutality, sex workers rights, violence against women

January 2010 Update:
HOPS Campaign promoting zero tolerance for violence against sex workers in Macedonia is off to a great start! We interviewed Marija Tosheva, HOPS Program Director, about her expectations and the role that the newly released video You Must Know About Me plays in the campaign. In her words: “This is the first time that sex workers have the opportunity to speak directly to the people in power and also to advocate for themselves… Because usually the laws, policies and strategies are build for the people, but without asking the people…”

Here are some campaign highlights so far:

• In connection to December 17th, The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, HOPS has organized 15 panel discussions, meetings and workshops throughout Macedonia and the region, targeting law enforcement officials, students at the police academy, journalists, civil society and general public.
• As a result of a screening to the highest police officials in October, the video is now included in the 2010 training program “Macedonia without Discrimination” for judiciary and police officers throughout the country.
• Sex workers themselves discussed video in a number of self-advocacy workshops which promoted psychosocial healing and raised awareness about self-advocacy and the need for protection and promotion of sex workers’ rights.
• HOPS is particularly encouraged by the media coverage which for the first time included respectful terminology and objective reporting.
• In collaboration with Sex Workers’ Rights Advocacy Network (SWAN), the packaged version of HOPS video has been distributed in 17 countries in Europe and Central Asia. The video is produced in Macedonian, Russian, and English (short and long versions) and includes a written report on police violence in 11 countries in the region. As part of the December 17th campaign, the video has been screened in the Netherlands, Russia, Bulgaria, and Kyrgyzstan.

Background: In Macedonia, as in the rest of the world, sex workers are pushed to the margins of society by a combination of prejudice, discrimination, and violence. WITNESS partner Healthy Options Project Skopje (HOPS) - an NGO based in Macedonia's capital city of Skopje - works to promote the rights of sex workers with the basic premise that selling sexual services does not justify the denial of fundamental rights to which all human beings are entitled.

In August 2009, HOPS and WITNESS co-produced video You Must Know About Me, a first-hand account of sex workers’ experiencs off and on the streets. While dealing with harassment and violence from clients, pimps, and the police, sex workers strive to counter hostile public attitudes by speaking out and fighting for their rights. The video calls for zero tollerance of violence against workers and the coordinated response of institutions to the actual needs of sex workers.

HOPS' video advocacy campaign targets law enforcement officials with the goal of reducing the number of violent incidents committed against sex workers by police officers as well as improving police response when violence against sex workers is committed by third parties. As a critical first step, in October 2009, the video was screened to the highest ranking Macedonian law enforcement officials, who commented that the video realistically depicts the situation and agreed that the screening opened the door for trust-building between police and sex workers.

WITNESS Partnership in Action: HOPS Training Recap

WITNESS staffers Ryan Kautz and Violeta Krasnic traveled to Macedonia in January 2009 to conducted a week-long video advocacy training with HOPS with a goal of increasing HOPSs video production capacity. The training focused on effective techniques for filming concealed interviews and included discussions of the Video Advocacy Plan, the blueprint of the upcoming campaign. This video is a recap of their trip and training with HOPS. Watch the other vlogs in this series below.

	All You Ever Needed to Know About Sex Workers: End the Violence - This post by Violeta Krasnic provides an introduction into the rights of sex workers both in Macedonia and the region.
	Training with HOPS, Day 1 - HOPS' Marija Tosheva speaks about the recent police raids against sex workers in Skopje.
	Training with HOPS, Day 2 - See footage from the training and excerpts from an interview with a Macedonian sex worker.
	Training with HOPS, Day 3 - Marija Tosheva talks about the need to protect and promote the rights of sex workers.
	Training with HOPS, Day 4 - See more excerpts from the training, including a camera exercise with HOPS staff.