Latin American Sex Worker Struggles

A group of about 25 people pose underneath some trees with red umbrellas and an AMMAR trade union banner that reads

Argentinian sex workers with AMMAR hold up a banner that reads "Labour rights for sex workers". Image via People's Dispatch

A white performer in black shorts and a black bra dances at a sex worker street party in Buenos Aires. A large crowd is gathered around them, with multi-coloured balloons.

AMMAR mark December 17th, International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

A large group of sex workers marching through the streets of Buenos Aires with a banner depicting the logos for AMMAR, RedTraSex and CTA (the Argentinian workers union).

Argentinian sex workers holding a banner during a march for decriminalisation in Buenos Aires.

Sex worker activist Georgina Orellano from AMMAR holds up a placard at an AMMAR demonstration. The right side of the image celebrates 21 years of AMMAR organising, with the organisation logo in red.

Sex worker activist Georgina Orellano from AMMAR holds up a placard at a demonstration

Lady of the Night School was a two part course that ran for three months between October to December 2021, and again between April to June 2022. Each month we collectively explored a new topic. The focus was less on current legislations and campaigns, and more on how we got to where we are today.

This is an archive of each session in the series. Here you will find recordings, reading lists, audio, and summaries of each section, as well as details of our hosts and where you can find them now.

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Latin American Sex Worker Struggles (December 2021)

This lecture explored different sex worker organising movements across Latin America with a focus on Argentina. We looked at significant moments and movement leaders, how these local movements came about, the context that produced these types of organising, and how all of this links to the political landscape today.

Our host Eugenia, a member of AMMAR, shared her journey in sex worker activism, from the repressive environment in Argentina where police have had arbitrary power which led to the formation of Plaperts in 2013. Despite progress, sex workers face ongoing challenges from the movement to abolish sex work and from government policies against sex trafficking. Eugenia emphasised the need to recognise the labour of sex work in order to address the systemic discrimination and violence that sex workers face. You can listen to Eugenia talk about the situation for sex workers in Argentina here.

  • Lecture by Eugenia Aravena (AMMAR) (Monday 29th November, 7.00 – 8.30pm)

  • Seminar by Kate Hardy (Monday 13th December, 6.30 – 8.30pm)

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Eugenia Aravena is a member of the organisations Plaperts (The Latín American Network of Sex Working People) and the RRTS (Network for the Recognition of Sex Work).

Kate Hardy is an Associate Professor in Work and Employment Relations. Kate is widely published on sex workers' struggles in Latin America and the UK and is a feminist activist and founding member of Partisan and Greater Manchester Housing Action. You can follow her work here.

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This course is made possible with generous support from the Barry Amiel & Norman Melburn Trust and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

Latin American Sex Worker Struggles was the final session in the first series of our popular education course Lady of the Night School.

The topics included:

  • A History of Sex Work Criminalisation in the UK

  • Trans Sex Workers Through History

  • Latin American Sex Worker Struggles

  • Sex Workers Built the Internet

  • Anti Trafficking in the Caribbean

  • Sex Worker Art and Creative Practices

Year: 2021
Type: public lecture
Series: lady of the night school
Subject(s): latin america argentina