Indigenous People In the Sex Trade – Our Life, Our Bodies, Our Realities

Press release in support of the 21st annual February 14th Missing Women’s Rally

 

- February 14th, 2012 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –

 

ABOUT THE PROJECT: The Aboriginal Sex Work Education and Outreach Project (ASWEOP) is a partnership between 

Maggie’s: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project and the Native Youth Sexual Health Network. It is run by and for 

Indigenous people in the sex trade. This project is for street based sex workers of all genders and of Indigenous descent. 

As Indigenous community members we strongly support all those hosting memorial marches across the country for 

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. As we are participating locally in the Toronto Rally to Honor Missing and 

Murdered Indigenous Women, we have chosen to make connections between the same colonial injustices that not only 

continue to allow for genocide but also oppress our right to self-determination over our bodies, our choices and our work.  

 

On February 14th we remember and honor all Indigenous Women including Indigenous People in the sex trade who have 

gone missing or have been murdered. We remember all women including our Trans, Two-Spirit, and gender nonconforming sisters. Many of those who have been lost have been a part of our communities and families. 

We support the demand by Vancouver and other national Aboriginal women’s organizations for the United Nations to 

investigate the hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women.  Vancouver’s February 14th Women’s Memorial 

March Committee and the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, along with the Feminist Alliance for International Action 

(FAIFA) and the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) have recently made submissions to the UN Committee on 

the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to investigate the lack of action on behalf of the government.

We support the need for a visit by CEDAW members with the direct and meaningful participation of Indigenous women 

advocates, people in the sex trade and family members of missing and murdered women as the discrimination from the 

police and judicial systems continue to increase.

Part of remembering and honoring this February 14th is the release of the ASWEOP statement “Indigenous People In 

the Sex Trade – Our Life, Our Bodies, Our Realities”. This statement was created by Indigenous People in the sex 

trade to speak to the seeds that we continue to plant in our communities as resistance to violence:

“ASWEOP brings together Indigenous people in the sex trade community to recognize the Indigenous women 

who have gone missing or been murdered as a part of ongoing systemic oppression.  It allows us to honor

current Indigenous and Two-Spirit People in the sex trade while acknowledging those who have lost their lives 

due to ongoing colonial abuse.”

We hope that this statement is shared widely among community, sex workers, and community-based organizations. It 

can be accessed at http://maggiestoronto.ca/press1releases

 

Media contacts:

Erin Konsmo, The Native Youth Sexual Health Network

erin.konsmo@gmail.comASWEOP, Maggie’s The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project