No US visa to sex workers

Hundreds of sex workers from all over the world who were denied travel visa by the USA to attend the International AIDS conference have decided to hold a parallel conference in Kolkata in protest.

Slated to be held between July 22 and July 27 in Washington DC, the conference is an annual congregation of organisations and agencies from across the world engaged in controlling AIDS.

“But the US government’s travel restriction for sex workers will bar many of them from attending the conference this year,” said Andrew Hunter, president of Global Network of Sex Workers, the co-hosts.

Under the banner of Global Hub of the International AIDS Conference, over 550 representatives of sex workers from 47 countries will attend the event here which is being hosted by Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee. The five-day conference in Kolkata will deliberate on the ‘Seven Freedoms’ – the right to move, work, access to healthcare, participate, organise, be free of violence and discrimination.