The European Sex Work Research Network (ESWORN) was launched at ESWA Congress in 2022.
ESWORN is a network of researchers hosted and coordinated by the European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance. The membership is open to researchers (doctoral/postdoc/PhD), as well as to Master’s students with sex work experience or a strong connection to sex worker-led movement and based in / researching sex work in Europe and Central Asia. We are interested in key thematic issues (such as criminology, public health, socio-legal processes, etc.), but we welcome researchers from all disciplines.
This proposed research network has three core aims:
- Networking
- Research and knowledge production
- Policy and Advocacy
The overarching objective of this network is to ensure that meaningful collaboration and partnerships can take place between researchers and our communities. ESWA recognises academia as an institution which plays a significant role not only in sharing knowledge about sex workers and their rights but is also critical in bolstering or refuting policies which have real-life consequences for sex workers across Europe and Central Asia.
ESWORN members must endorse the following core values:
- Recognition of sex work as work
- Support of sex workers’ self-determination and self-organisation
- Opposition to the criminalisation of sex work
- Commitment to sex workers’ inclusion, leadership and accountability of researchers to the communities they work with
To join, please first read the Terms of Reference.
Then, fill in the Application Form and send it to [email protected]. Your application will be processed, and you will be notified of the result. If accepted, your email address will be added to the ESWORN listserv.