30/09/2026
Sx workers' rights are under attack across Europe and Central Asia:
🇸🇪 In 2025, despite receiving overwhelming opposition from sx workers, civil society, and academic experts, Sweden criminalised the clients of online sx work (e.g. OnlyFans).
Just as we feared, this dangerous precedent started a new wave of attacks on sx workers' rights.
🇫🇷 In France, a bill seeking to criminalise the purchase of adult content is currently being debated. The bill also proposes to lift medical confidentiality if a patient is suspected to be a s*x worker - removing another essential protection of sx workers' privacy.
🇮🇸 In Iceland, the government is moving forward with a bill introducing prison sentences for sx workers’ clients, ignoring protests from both the Icelandic sx worker community, and the scientific evidence presented by ESWA, endorsed by over 42 organisations.
🇹🇷 In Türkiye, the human rights defenders arrested in a government crackdown face, among others, charges of “facilitating p**stitution.” Sx workers’ are continously targeted by raids and state violence.
These cases are connected.
Just as other marginalised groups, sx workers’ are experiencing attacks on our rights on a scale bigger than individual country or region.
This is why ESWA calls for international solidarity.
Share this message to draw attention to the true scale of the problem.
Stay tuned to keep up to date on the developments in France, Iceland, and Türkiye.
