The (mis)use of evidence in contested rights: the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls’ report on “prostitution and violence”

21 November, 2024

BlogSRHM Events

 

Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM) hosted an important webinar on the (mis)use of evidence on Wednesday 20 November 2024.

In this online event, we heard from the authors of the paper ‘The (mis)use of evidence in contested rights: the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls’ report on “prostitution and violence”’ and the Global Co-ordinator of The Global Network of Sex Work Projects. The paper is available online and is open access.

The paper in the SRHM Journal raises concerns about the basis on which a recent report on ‘prostitution and violence,’ by a UN human rights expert, rests its arguments. In this webinar, the authors will argue that criminal law which makes both the buying and selling of sex a crime hurts the very people who are most at risk, and that ‘trafficking’ is not the same as ‘sex work’.

Because there is no agreement in international human rights law about what laws best protect the rights of people who sell sex, clear information by experts in the UN, where states debate law, are important. While there are often disagreements within the world of contested rights, the speakers argue that independent experts’ reports should contribute to new law with accuracy and transparency.

“We say in our article that the Special Rapporteur on violence against women (SRVAW) misuses evidence by inaccurately reflecting other UN experts’ work, especially on state responsibility for rights; not precisely presenting facts; and ignoring dissenting voices, such as sex workers of all genders and identities”.

In a time where human rights as a space of dignity and freedom are under attack, it is critical to raise these concerns and build the case for good practices to support the future of human rights.

Watch the 1 hour recording here:

Speakers

Susana T. Fried (Moderator)
Co-director, Just Futures Collaborative

Esteban Restrepo Saldarriaga
Associate Professor, Law School, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia

Alice M. Miller
Professor in the Practice, YSPH; Associate Professor (adjunct)  YLS; co-Director, Global Health Justice Partnership of the Yale Law and Public Health Schools

Jules Kim
Global Co-ordinator of The Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP)

Rupsa Malik
Adviser, CREA

Ivana Radačić
Research advisor, Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences, Zagreb; lecturer at University of Osijek; adjunct faculty at Human Rights Practice Program, University of Arizona