Towards a global activism for the abolition of prostitution: Challenges and strategies

International online seminar within the framework of March 8, 2021

On March 8, 2021 we put at the center a historical vindication of women and a priority on the political agenda of the feminist movement: the abolition of prostitution. Both in Spain and globally, abolitionist laws and policies are urgently needed with the Swedish and French model.

We invite you to register for this international seminar in which we will address sexual exploitation from the perspective of the demand, the responsibility of the States, and the importance of prostitution survivors on the path to eradicating this extreme form of sexist violence.

We also invite you to the inauguration of the first International Abolitionist School, a tool for social transformation. The moment is now.

Friday, March 5 and 6, 2021, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
(central European time)

Event Schedule

Friday March 5, 2021

5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Words of Welcome and Thanks: Núria Parlón, Mayor of Santa Coloma (Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain). Presentation of the project of the Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council: “Cities for the Abolition of Prostitution”.
• Presentation of the framework of the International Seminar: Graciela Atencio (Spain-Argentina), director of Feminicidio.net (Spanish partner at CAP).

5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

• University alliances: the role of the Academy in the approach to prostitution from the abolitionist perspective perspective.

Speakers: Elena Martínez García, vice-rector of the University of Valencia, Spain; Yamille Gómez Hernández, Director of Equality and Gender at the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca, Mexico; and Esther Pineda, Director of Research of the Foundation Alika Kinan, Universidad de San Martín, Argentina.

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Roundtable on the “French Law of 2016 to strengthen the fight against the prostitution system and support for prostituted people”.

Speakers:

• Laurence Rossignol (France), Senator for Oise and former Minister of Family, Children and Women’s Rights of France, she played a fundamental role in the adoption of the French abolitionist law. She is also president of the feminist association Assembly of Women.
  
• Jonathan Machler (France), director of the Coalition for Abolition of Prostitution International, based in Paris, France, made up of 34 organizations from 27 countries, on four continents.
  

Presents:

Marta Torres Herrero (Spain), international jurist specialized in Women’s Human Rights. A member of CAP Intl since its foundation, she is currently responsible for the mission in Spain and Latin America of said coalition.

7:00 p.m to 7:30 p.m.

Break

7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

– “Participation of survivors of trafficking in legislation and public policies”: Alika Kinan (Argentina), After being rescued from more than 16 years of sexual slavery, she sued her pimps, a lawsuit that she won. Today, she is the director of the Program for Studies, Training and Research on Human Trafficking and Exploitation of Persons, at the University of San Martín.

Presents: Rita María Hernández (United States), Director of Policies and Promotion of the American organization Rescue Freedom International.

Saturday March 6, 2021

Opening ceremony of the International Abolitionist School

17:00 p.m. to 17:30 p.m.

– Introduction to a keynote by Melissa Farley: “The claimant of prostitution, a sexual aggressor”, by Amelia Tiganus (Spain-Romania), expert in sexual violence and survivor of the prostitution system.

17:30 p.m. to 18:30 p.m.

Inaugural Keynote Conference of the International Abolitionist School: “Why should the claimant of prostitution be penalized?”

By Melissa Farley (United States), doctor in clinical psychology, with 50 years of experience. She has written 40 peer-reviewed articles on prostitution and trafficking and two books: Prostitution, Trafficking & Traumatic Stress (2004) and Prostitution and Trafficking in Nevada: Making the Connections (2007). She is the co-author of the first international survey on prostitution and post-traumatic stress disorder in nine countries (2003) and the first study that compared buyers of sex with those who are not (2011), among other publications from her prolific academic career.

Dr. Farley founded Prostitution Research & Education (PRE) in 1995. PRE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to research, education, and policy consultation on commercial sexual exploitation and its impact on women, men, and children. PRE provides a free library of resources https://prostitutionresearch.com/ and posts regular updates. Its goal is to abolish prostitution and offer alternatives to those in it. PRE’s research has been used by governments in South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Ghana, Spain, Sweden, Korea, United Kingdom, and United States for education and policy development on prostitution and trafficking.

18:30 p.m. to 19:00 p.m.

Break

19:00 p.m. to 20:00 p.m.

“Strategies to move towards local-global abolitionism”, a five-voice dialogue with Melissa Farley. Conversation with Rita Hernández, Núria Parlón, Amelia Tiganus and Marta Torres Herrero. The seminar students participate with their questions to Dr. Farley.

20:00 p.m. to 20:30 p.m.

• International Abolitionist School: presentation of the online training program for the first semester of 2021. In charge of Maribel Cárdenas, Director of Politiques d’Igualtat and LGTBI, Santa Coloma de Gramenet Town Hall and Graciela Atencio, coordinator of the International Abolitionist School.Inauguration on social networks and at La CIBA, a space for resources for women, innovation and feminist economics, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelona.

Simultaneous translation:

Spanish-English; English-Spanish;
French-Spanish; French-English.

Free seminar, certificates of participation will be delivered.

Organized by:

Collaborators: