Red Umbrella March: Rights, Not Rescue
Amidst students writing final exams and finishing up long procrastinated papers, a recognition of resiliency in communities across the world took place on December 17th, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. In Victoria, the March to End Violence Against Sex Workers started at the legislature and made its way to Spirit Square. Heavy rain didn’t keep folks from coming out and demonstrating support with their red umbrellas, a symbol of sex worker’s rights.
This solidarity is as important as ever when we recognize that this violence is state-sanctioned, because sex work continues to be criminalized in Canada. Given Canada’s colonial culture, identities (Indigenous women, Women of Colour, Trans, Queer, people with disabilities, and children) are socially structured in a hierarchy and then are targeted for sexualized violence in congruence with that hierarchy. Add in the social stigmatization of sex work and we can quickly see the violence becomes double fold. Socially and through state violence, people with vulnerable identities in the sex industry experience a real and elevated risk of violence.
When everyone arrived at Spirit Square, soggy but keeping up the chants to the very end, there was warm food from the Reef to meet them. Burlesque entertainment followed the food that took place at city hall; really centring people and experiences in a place that does not normally hold space in this way.
The Red Umbrella Ball, a fundraiser for PEERS was held at Norway House later that night. PEERS Victoria Resource Society, the organization that put on the march, is a local grassroots agency that was created for and by sex workers, providing outreach and harm reduction on Vancouver Island.
For more info about this organization be sure to check them out online, the page Sex Work 101 has lots of resources for those wanting to educate themselves about sex work.
There are many other fantastic advocacy groups that have information about how to be an ally to sex workers, so we can all do our research. Never assume you know someone’s story and respect that sex work is just that, work. No one should be excluded from a community of care based upon their job.
Written by: Charity Justrabo with important edits by Carol Bilson and meg neufeld
