If you would like to attend any of these events you can RSVP by contacting our Communications Officer at the Scarlet Alliance office on Thursday afternoon or Friday on 02 9690 0551. Or email communications(@) scarletalliance.org.au

The Agenda for the 2013 National Forum has been released. More details on the workshops to follow:

Touching Base Professional Disability Awareness Training Friday 29th November 2013

The International Congress on HIV in Asia and The Pacific (ICAAP) is being held in Bangkok this year. Scarlet Alliance and our partner sex worker organisations in the region will be joining sex workers from the region including from Empower and APNSW to ensure sex worker issues are show cased.

Scarlet Alliance has had a number of oral presentations confirmed including:

End criminalisation of sex workers living with HIV - Peer Ed stops transmission not criminalisation 21/11/13 10:30-12:00 Oral Session 15 - Criminalization of Sex Work Hall H

Mandatory sex worker testing: Pin cushion or prevention: A policy failure 22/11/13 10:30-12:00 Oral Session 26 - Mandatory Testing and Legal Issues for PLHIV Hall G

Migrant Sex Workers Representing Migrant Sex Workers on Issues and Policies that Affect Us 21/11/13 14:00-15:30 Oral Session 17 - Living and Working Abroad: Challenges for PLHIV Migrants and others Session Venue: Hall G

We are included as an invited speaker at the Symposium

Session Title: Legal and Social Measures required to protect PLWHIV and Key Populations from Discrimination 22 November 2013 (Fri.) 10.30am-12.00

And we have a number of E poster presentations accepted including:

We are Migrant Sex workers

Challenges for sex worker capacity development partnerships amongst communities experiencing high HIV prevalence Date and Time

The migration project- representing migrant sex workers voices to combat discrimination

Campaigning for decriminalisation of sex work

Criminalisation of HIV Positive sex and sex workers

Friends Frangipani have also had an oral presentation accepted titled:

Sex workers win anti-discrimination case; sending a message that sex workers have rights and will fight for them in court; and several e-posters.

Scarlet Alliance participation at ASHM & ASHA Conferences in Darwin, October 21-25

Scarlet Alliance will be presenting at the ASHM conference on our international Capacity Building work and will host a lunchtime session on Wednesday 23/10/13 12.45-1.30pm in the Advocacy Corner on sex work legal issues with a mixed panel of speakers.

Sex, police, condoms, arrests and the United Nations: what do sex workers have to say about it? A lively lunch discussion as our panel of sex worker experts cover how law, enforcement and policy affect safe sex, human rights and health promotion.

Our member organisation SWOP NT will also present on its work on Friday 24/10/13.

Scarlet Alliance participation in Mardi Gras

Scarlet receives no specific funding to participate in Mardi Gras & participation in Mardi Gras has been, in the past, facilitated by the efforts of individual sex workers, on the volunteer working party and as staff at the Scarlet Office.

There has always been a significant flow on impact on both Scarlet's volunteer capacity & the Scarlet Office over Mardi Gras time.

Given recent Funding reductions & budgeting concerns, issues of capacity are forefront in all of our minds - but there is also the fact that there were significant barriers to participation put in place by Sydney Mardi Gras last year.

Our right as sex workers to participate was questioned, our sexual identities were "credentialed", we were asked what "letters" we did or didn't have, & we had to fight tooth & nail to participate in what some members of community feel is moreand more a commercial rather than a cultural event.

The Scarlet Alliance Executive committee has made on the basis of all of these factors - funding, capacity & community - the unanimous decision to not delegate a working party from the Executive to co-ordinate an official Scarlet Alliance entry into Mardi Gras this year.

This does not of course preclude participation by individual or organisational members, or discussion regarding this issue. Scarlet Alliance last year hosted a Post-Mardi Gras Panel on the 26th of April at which nine groups – including sex worker & queer community - spoke regarding their experiences with Mardi Gras, on issues of exclusion, identity policing & censorship.

Scarlet Alliance is open to and welcomes feedback from sex worker peer community on this issue.