The International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE) is a sex worker-led network representing 98 organisations led by or working with sex workers in 31 countries in Europe and Central Asia, as well as more than 150 individuals including sex workers, academics, trade unionists, human-rights advocates, and women’s rights and LGBT+ rights activists. The core aim of ICRSE is to ensure that the voices of sex workers in the region are heard, listened to and respected. They strive to raise awareness about the social exclusion of female, male and transgender sex workers in Europe and Central Asia; to promote the human, health and labour rights of all sex workers at community, national and regional level; and to build alliances with key partners, including sex workers and their organisations globally, NGOs and other civil society organisations and key stakeholders at the level of EU policy and decision-making.

ICRSE opposes all forms of criminalisation of sex work and strongly disputes the conflation of sex work with trafficking. They aim to raise awareness of the harmful impact of the conflation of sex work with trafficking on sex workers’ lives and seek to put forward a labour rights’ perspective of sex work, whereby the labour, health and human rights of all sex workers are recognised, protected and fulfilled by national, regional and international laws, policies and programmes.

ICRSE supports sex workers’ right to self-determination and self organisation. Sex workers can and do effect change; solidarity among ICRSE members will ensure that the needs and voices of female, male and transgender sex workers will be heard and addressed equally.

Vision

ICRSE’s vision is of a world where sex work is recognised as work; where all sex workers are respected and their rights are upheld; and where gender, racial, social and economic equality and freedom of movement are a reality enabling individuals to start, continue or leave sex work safely, and free from violence and coercion.

Mission

ICRSE is a network of sex worker organisations and their allies that work together to support the development of national and international law, policy and practice, which respects and upholds the human and labour rights of sex workers throughout Europe and Central Asia.

Core Values

ICRSE and its members:

-Recognise sex work as work

-Support sex worker self-determination and self-organisation

-Oppose all forms of criminalisation and other legal oppression of sex work