Interview with Elena Drezga of JAZAS, an NGO working with sex workers in Belgrade, Serbia

WV: Can you tell us about the work of JAZAS?

Elena Drezga: JAZAS is the oldest NGO in the former Yugoslavia with the aim to prevent HIV/ AIDS among women and the population in general for the last five years. The most important programs that we conduct is the sex worker program, which means HIV and STI prevention among that population. So we started in Belgrade, and then trained people all over Serbia, and we made outreach teams to go on the field to go work with street based sex workers. We also created a mobile medical unit, which is formed of several doctors, specialists, gynecologists, psychiatrists, general practitioners and counselors.

WV: And what is the HIV prevalence among sex workers? Is it high?

ED: No, absolutely not. We have done several research projects for the public health institute, and we are always doing testing on the field. All of our data shows that there is very low prevalence of HIV among sex workers.

WV: Of the sex worker population, who tends to be most at risk of things such as violence?

Absolutely the transgender group of sex workers is exposed to a high level of violence, and all street based sex workers are exposed to several types of violence in all parts of their life. So in their private life, domestic violence, pimps, police, everybody.

WV: What is the trafficking situation like here in Belgrade?

ED: We only have partner organizations dealing with trafficking, so we don’t approach that subject on a professional basis. Only if we see that someone who is obviously not on the field of their own will, then we refer them to the organizations. So, we do not have official data on that.

There was a major change in the sex worker scene after the murder of the premier in 2003. At that point, all of the sex workers from the Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, were practically expelled from the country, and we don’t meet them anymore on the streets of Belgrade, or in the strip clubs. They are not present anywhere. It was typical that those girls could be victims of trafficking in this area.

We do have a lot of refugees from Kosovo. They escaped from Kosovo during the 90’s and then established themselves in Belgrade.

WV: And if sex work were to be decriminalized, how would that effect the issue of trafficking?

ED: It would bring the subject into the open. The sex workers will be more visible, and that will be helpful for accessing all kinds of services. In that position, they will be able to reach the services that they need, and the services could reach them.

It would reduce the risk of trafficking. When you have invisible people working in invisible places, all kinds of manipulation and abuse can be present. If it is criminalized, then it is harder to see if there is violence and abuse of the individual.

WV: Thank you. Is there anything else you would like to say about the situation for sex workers?

ED: I want to thank you for coming. You caused such huge changes in the media. Now everybody is reporting on it. So, now, they will continue to report on the issues of sex work, from the different perspectives. It is important.

We were not able to achieve that before- nobody paid attentions to those issues before.

Sex Workers in the Serbian Media Frenzy

These past few days have been crazy.  One day blends into the next, and I can hardly believe what has happened.

First I was to give a couple of presentations on sex work, the clinic, and sex worker issues.  There was at first just one journalist who was interested this in a serious way.

But then after my first presentation (which went really well- the crowd was overall amazing. They were engaged and supportive)  came the Serbian tabloid’s horrible article which was filled with lies.

For two days I was on the front page of the tabloid.  Crazy!  I still don’t believe it, but I have the copies to prove it.   It was offensive and degrading, and I was worried suddenly that there was more harm done then good.

The dean of the University forbade the second presentation, and suddenly, everybody wanted to do an interview.  In the past few days, I have done interviews with five different journalists.  From progressive newspapers, to student journalists, to the the journal which is the reminds me of something between  the U.S.’s Time Magazine and National Geographic.

And there are still more.

And the sex worker activists here are excited, because never before has the issue of sex work gotten so much media attention.  There was one bad article, and the rest of been good.  I am told that they have been trying for years to get the media to talk about the real issues facing sex workers, and the journalism has been very poor, and very degrading.

But now the conversation has really been opened.  And this is an amazing thing.

And I got together with the different people who had been in some way invovled, and we together came up with a huge statement in response to the original media attention.  (The person who typed it up wrote it first in Serbian, it is not yet been translated into english.)

Marianne Jonker, sex worker activist from the Netherlands, was the person I was supposed to present with at Belgrade University.  She facilitated a workshop for sex workers during which we had a chance to discuss the negative article, and I got a list of responses and demands from some street-based sex workers here in Belgrade.

This is what those sex workers have to say:

1) This type of negative media attention absolutely contributes to the violence against them from other people, and clients.

2) They feel that if such an article printed such lies, then the newspaper should be prosecuted

3) It is unacceptable to use this term ‘kurva’ or whore.  They are called sex workers (because sex work is labor just like anything else).

4) Sex Workers are people, and they should not be discriminated against

5) There was an organization for transgender folk which was going to attend to the presentation at Belgrade University, and they were really sad they could not go.

I shared these statements with every journalist I talked to since.  I hope they get printed in the Serbian Media.

An Interview with the Anti Trafficking Center, Belrade

Many people believe that decriminalizing sex work would lead to further human trafficking. In Belgrade, Serbia, where many say that human trafficking is a huge problem, there is an advocacy group with experience on both issues.

The Anti Trafficking Center (ATC) has been working on issues of human trafficking since 1999. However, over the course of time, experience changed their perceptions about trafficking, and how the issue affects sex workers.

“We stopped working with trafficking, because we saw that trafficking became an excuse for NGO’s and police to restrain women,” said Jelena Dordevic, the Deputy Director of the Anti Trafficking Center, “The whole idea of trafficking turned against us and the people we were trying to support.”

In its simplest terms, trafficking for the sex trade is defined as use of force. If an individual willingly chooses to do sex work, or to migrate to another country for sex work, then it is not trafficking.

However, the issues is complicated when many people choose to pay enormous fees in order to be smuggled across borders with the intention of doing sex work, but then are manipulated by the traffickers while they are working off their fee. Because of attitudes around sex work, it is difficult for these individuals to get assistance.

“There is this perception that there are the right victims and the wrong victims,” said Dordevic, “Sex Workers did not agree to get raped, to not be paid.”

According to Dordevic, many NGO’s do not see individuals who choose to do sex work as qualifying for their services. The Anti Trafficking center sees this as a major problem, thus their focus has turned more towards those who are excluded from trafficking arguments, but are still at risk for rape and other forms of violence.

In fact, from their position as an NGO, they see decriminalization of sex work as crucial.

“Operating in an environment where sex work is penalized, it is very difficult to connect people with services,” said Dordevic.

Thus, the center works on policy level to educate the major decision makers, the media, and the public on the issues of sex workers. The current policies only lead to more violence. And it is not just supposed traffickers who are using their power to manipulate individuals involved in sex work.

Sex Workers have reported to the ATC of manipulation coming from some members of the police force. “There have been instances of brutal forms of violence, torture, rape, and blackmail,” said Dordevic. “Sometimes they will take her money, but it depends on the police officer. Not all are violent.”

Regardless, it is clear to the ATC that penalizing sex work is harmful. “Criminalization of sex work makes it difficult for people to advance their rights. It adds to stigmatization which leads to violence,” said Dordevic.

Day Two: In the Tabloids

Yeah, two days now, I have been on the front page of a tabloid. They twisted around everything I said at my REX presentation, and called it a scandal that I was to be presenting at Belgrade University this evening.

Supposedly the dean of the school has forbidden it, and he apparently has no respect for the ‘hooker’ who was going to come and present.

But also, many of my friends here were concerned  that certain communities were going to respond violently, as they have done recently at GLBT events.

Personally, if I were in my own country, I would go ahead with the presentation.  Unfortunately, I am not in my own country, and I am afraid of the repercussions the presentation would have on the students, or even the sex workers who are working on the street.

It is really terrible that this tabloid can print such a derogatory article, which also twisted around everything I said into complete lies, because of the harms that it has on sex workers, who already marginalized and stigmatized.

However, it is also clear that this tabloid is one similar to the U.S.’s National Enquirer, which everyone knows to print fake news, and fake scandals in order to sell newspapers.  So hey, I kinda feel like a celebrity then…for a couple days I get to pretend I am some sort of movie star in Serbia.

And actually, as a result, we have gotten some more serious media attention.  Yesterday I did an interview with two other more serious newspapers.  And some public newschannel wants to also do an interview.

If this means that sex worker issues get more attention, then it is a good thing.

Front Page Publicity

“Uh, Wendy, I have breaking news for you,” said my friend when he called me just now, “You are on the front page of one of the Serbian newspapers!”

And I had been a little worried when I answered a few questions for that journalist present at my presentation on Friday at the REX…I was not certain what her views were, though I did the interview anyway, hoping that what my points would be heard.

“You really should, when you get a chance, go out and buy a copy of this newspaper.”

I am curious….

But it is bad.  They twisted around things that I said in my presentation, and made a lot of things up.  Complete lies, in fact.  Typical yellow journalism.

poster from HOPS drop in center

JAZAS: Belgrade, Serbia

So, as I mentioned before,  I have been visiting a lot with JAZAS, the group working with Sex Workers in Belgrade.  It is pretty inspiring to see them doing their work, as they are doing so much after only opening their drop in center six months ago.  They have regular medical and other support services, do a lot of outreach with a beautiful mobile van, do on-site testing and other medical care, and more.

Getting the opportunity to meet with them and their community members has made me feel at home, and like I am with my beautiful sex worker family.  I met with the outreach team and other community members from JAZAS and did an in-service presentation on our services.  At one point, I was talking about the bad date list that a couple of outreach workers at St. James Infirmary have been running. One of the sex workers present who is street based, started talking about how she and other workers share information about bad clients, and described how they looked out for one another.  Unfortunately, after a bad client stopped bothering workers in one area, the client would go to other areas and start again.

It was good to share stories and ideas.  This is how we all learn and grow stronger.

The ACTUAL causes of human trafficking

ECONOMIC DISPARITY – extreme poverty co-existing wtih extreme economic wealth.  People move or migrate all the time to wealthier places in hopes of improving their own economic situation.

DISCRIMINATORY IMMIGRATION LAWS:  When people are  not able to immigrate to countries where they might seek asylum or better or more humane living conditions, that is when they must do it illegally.  There is a market for traffickers when it is not allowed.  Furthermore, the traffickers have power over vulnerable people and can use their power to manipulate the traffickees into paying ginormous sums,  or doing as they wish.

The SOLUTION to Human Trafficking:

SOCIAL JUSTICE and EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL.   This means economic justice, racial justice, gender justice, and more.

The decriminalization of sex work would be one step towards equal rights for all, as a marginialized community would be able to improve their living and working conditions.

You know, I have wondered, myself if decriminalization of sex work is the right thing to do.  As someone who cares deeply about social justice, I would like to do the right thing.  And I think that sexual slavery, and any kind of slavery (except of the consensual sort that happens in BDSM) is wrong, and that we need to fight against it.  But in order to fight against it, I think we need to look at the root causes of trafficking, which have to do with poverty and  discriminatory immigration laws.  These two things contribute to a power imbalance which in the cases of human trafficking allows for extreme abuse.

It is very difficult for us in the U.S. to find victims of trafficking. It is very difficult for us to get statistics on it.     Also, as someone who works (but does not speak for) an agency that works with sex workers, and also has an abiltiy to reach potential victims of human trafficking.  I think that my job would be much easier to do for both situations, if sex work would be decriminalized.  It would be much easier to find victims of human trafficking once the other group is less marginalized and less stigmatized.  It will be much easier to tell the difference.

So in some way, the two go together:  decriminalize prostitution and fight human trafficking for sexual slavery.

Belgrade and tonight at the REX

There is so much to say about my experience in Belgrade.  I have been having an amazing time here.  Everyone has been really nice and extremely helpful- the folks at Queer Belgrade, Jelena and Arandjel from Belgrade University, the people from JAZAS – have all worked really hard to help do presentations on sex work, the St. James Infirmary, and sex worker organizing.

Already, I have had the opportunity to an in-service presentation about the clinic at JAZAS, go on outreach with JAZAS, learn about the situation for LGBT folks in Serbia, and so much more.  I hope to be able to find the time to write about it all in more detail.  There is so much to share!

And in a couple of hours I will be presenting at the REX in Belgrade, together with the folks from JAZAS.

The info is here:  http://www.rex.b92.net/oktobar08_eng.html There is a small mistake in the description where they say that St. James is for male and female sex workers.  The clinic also has comprehensive services for transgender folks.  This is a really important part of the work at St. James, especially as the clinic has found that the transgender population is at the highest risk for violence and harm of various sorts.

…and I would like to also mention that as I type this, I can hear someone playing the trumpet nearby.  The sound of minor keys is cheering me on…

Prop K!

Read about it here.

www.yesonpropk.org