Länderberichte MAZEDONIEN:

[Marc of Frankfurt]

Mazedonien


Staat:
Republik Mazedonen:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazedonien

Hauptstadt Skopje:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopje


Nicht gemeint sind hier
die griechische Region Makedonien:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makedonien ... he_Region)

die historische Region:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makedonien





Anlaufstellen und Netzwerke:

www.HOPS.org.mk

www.SWANnet.org





Links:

Demo:
viewtopic.php?p=29079#29079

Kunstprojekt:
viewtopic.php?p=27900#27900





.

[Marc of Frankfurt]

Sexworker Deportation zur Zwangstestung.

Sexworker-Fotos im Internet-Pranger der Behörden.



Police raid on sex workers and

force testing in Macedonia !!!



At Thursday night, a huge police raid was performed at the
open sex work scene in Skopje, Macedonia. More than 30
people (sex workers, clients, some of partners, pimps, and
one outreach worker from HOPS) were collected with police
vans and brought to police station without
information/explanation about the reasons of arrest.

After reaction of HOPS lawyer, only the outreach worker
was released, with explanation that she was picked up only
for identification (either even before going to station
she showed up the ID and working card form HOPS explaining
her outreach activities). Others were kept under suspicion
of “involvement in prostitution” (individual prostitution
is misdemeanor again public peace and order; other
activities connected with it are crime acts –pimping,
allowing premises etc). After, we heard that other parties
after pressing charges were released too, but 23 sex
workers were kept till the end of action.

Next day we received information that police asked the
clinic for infective diseases to perform HIV and Hepatitis
B and C testing at “arrested prostitutes”, based at court
order, which means forced. In the mean while the media
were already informed (obviously by the police) about the
action, and they were already settled with cameras in
front of the clinic.

We immediately informed few institutions like Sector for
internal control within MoI, Ministry of health, Helsinki
Committee for human rights, other partners and we went to
the Ombudsman, to initiate checking whole information and
speculation that is going on, in order to prevent force
testing or public humiliation of sex workers.

Unfortunately, in the office of Ombudsman we were told
that it is the end of the week and the end of working day
(it was 14:30h), and that they do not plan to expand their
working day for this or any other case, but they will work
on it very carefully from Monday...

We also send media alert about our suspicions of potential
human rights violation which may follow and we informed
that we are asking relevant institutions for prompt
respond.

In the mean while the police with court order (we still
don’t know based on what explanation) started to bring
girls to the clinic to perform testing...

While transportation of girls and testing, media was there
shooting in front of clinic..

After, Minister of MoI herself kept press conference
explaining whole action as a “fight of MoI with
socio-pathological phenomenon in society, and eliminating
street prostitution” and informed the public that they
done the testing in order to find out if “the prostitutes”
purposely and intentionally spread infective diseases, and
that if the disease are found they will be charged under
crime code. At the question of one of the journalist do
they think that removing sex workers from streets is
enough to solve problem and do they think about legalizing
prostitution, the Minster clearly said that “the ideology
of demo-christien and right oriented political parties do
not have legalizing prostitution in their agenda”.




www.mvr.gov.mk


The worst thing was that some media showed very clearly
identity of the people in police vans and going into
clinic, and they were described like “non educated,
illiterate, divorced, coming from dysfunctional families,
some of them mothers selling their daughters”,
information which stood in official report from MoI.

Pictures from girls taken in police station was also
published at MoI web page and they were taken from other
news agencies. At the pictures only eyes of girls are
blurred, but they are still very easily recognized.

http://www.vecer.com.mk/?ItemID=0E7B613 ... F3EEEF2773

http://sitel.com.mk/?ItemID=ADE92579B36 ... 95C1E4C3B3


About what was going on in the police station we do not
have much information yet, but in short conversation that
I had with one of girls after releasing - insults,
humiliations, no food and water all the time, left in
crisis (some of SW are drug users) without medical help,
not informed about testing, are just few of the things
that were mentioned...

We are already mobilizing all our allies and partners in
order to prepare case and broader platform for joint
contra action. Coalition for promotion of sexual and
health rights of SW and LGBT populations, OSI Macedonia,
individual human right experts were the first one who
respond to our call for action. Supportive signs we get
from UNAIDS, UNDP and National coordinator for HIV/AIDS in
Macedonia. We are organizing coordinative meeting with
lawyers for clearing the article of the law which MoI is
addressing to “approve” the action and we’ll create
concrete action plan..


And we’ll see if some of sex workers will want/need
assistance in raising individual or group case about their
rights violations within police procedures.


In the mean while, any ideas, experiences, possible
actions, and possibility of getting international support
will be of great benefit.


Marija Tosheva
Director of Program for support of SW
Healthy Options Project Skopje (HOPS)
Macedonia

www.hops.org.mk





.

[Marc of Frankfurt]

Official Reaction of Ministry of Interior
published at their official web site and sent to Media at 23.11.2008


The medical tests, as was specified on the press conference, were made upon a court order and we really cannot understand why anyone would treat the execution of a court order as violence. As a matter of fact, we also cannot understand why anybody would mind a free of charge medical examination, when such a big number of RM citizens eagerly wait for such services during actions carried out by the Ministry of Health. At the very least, even if they weren’t suspects, we expected from NGOs support for the medical examination, if they are even slightly concerned about the health of the persons detained for resorting to prostitution. MOI strongly negates the statements of NGOs that there had been use of force during detention of the persons suspect for resorting to, mediating or procuring prostitution services. We deem as an ultimate hypocrisy the attempt to underrate the action and to pressurize the court, which has already stated a detention measure for a mother, who in addition to prostituting herself, also procured clients to her daughters. In line with its competences, MOI shall continue to perform measures against all persons involved in illegal socio-pathological phenomena. We shall not ignore the numerous calls for action from our citizens and worried parents who report that sexual services had been offered to their minor children visiting the Youth Cultural Centre, and even to them, in the presence of their children. Maybe the NGOs think that the revolt of the citizens is irrelevant, and it is “normal” to offer oral sex to a 15-year old, for a certain amount of money. We think that it would be far more adequate, if NGOs really cared about the health and dignity of the persons detained for prostitution, to shelter and educate them, thus preparing them in order to be able to compete at the legal labor market.





Statement of PR of MoI for Macedonian daily newspaper


The testing of prostitutes was legal and there was a court warrant for that, while clients caught using sexual services at the time of detaining were not tested for infective diseases, since there was no criminal report for them, nor were there indications that they are possible carriers, MOI says.

- If somebody sells rotten candies in a store, it is normal to sue the person selling them, and not the person buying them. The police recommended the eight clients to make tests, for their safety. I have no information that prostitutes have had medical check ups previously – says Ivo Kotevski, MOI spokesperson.
According to him, instead of helping the girls, NGOs try to sponge money for a future project via announcements.

- Now prostitutes are back on the streets, so NGOs can shelter them, and purchase them two apartments and educate them there, train them for seamstresses [Näherinnen, Schneiderinen] or what ever else it is that would make them more qualified workers.

via
HOPE







Don't talk to me about sewing machines.
Talk to me about sex workers' rights!

www.apNSW.org





.

[Marc of Frankfurt]

Sendet Protestbriefe nach Mazedonien





HOPS (a strong ally organisation for sex workers in Macedonia, and ICRSE network member) is asking for as many organisations (or individuals) to send the attached "OPEN LETTER TO MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT REGARDING THE DETENTION, INVOLUNTARY TESTING AND CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST SEX WORKERS IN MACEDONIA IN NOVEMBER 2008"

You can add your logo to the document and your signature and then please send it to the following people:

Mrs. Gordana Jankuloska, Minister of Interior: kontakt@moi.gov.mk

Mrs. Aneta Stancevska, Sector for Internal Control within MoI,
Fax: +389 2 3112 468

Mr, Idzet Memeti, Ombudsman contact@ombudsman.mk, Fax: +389 2 3129 359

Mr, Bujar Osmani, Minister of Health: e-mail: bujar.osmani@zdravstvo.gov.mk, Fax: +389 2 3113 014





Quelle:
HOPS
sexworkEurope.org
ICRSE

[Marc of Frankfurt]

www.witness.org Video-Dokumentation

Sex Workers Rights in Macedonia: You Must Know About Me


http://hub.witness.org/en/YMKAM


In Macedonia, as throughout the world, sex workers are pushed to the margins of society by a combination of prejudice, discrimination, and violence.

Yet, the fact that a person sells sexual services cannot be used as justification for the denial of their fundamental rights, to which all human beings are entitled.

“You Must Know About Me” is a first-hand account of sex workers’ experiences and aspirations off and on the streets. While dealing with harassment and violence from clients, pimps, and the police, sex workers strive to counter hostile public attitudes by speaking out and fighting for their rights.

The video calls for zero tolerance of violence against sex workers and the coordinated response of institutions to the actual needs of sex workers.

www.HOPS.org.mk





.

[Marc of Frankfurt]

Gewonnenes Berufungsurteil der Sexworker in Mazedonien

Legal Victory for Sex Workers in Macedonia


Submitted by NSWP on 2nd March 2012
Source (extract): Open Society Foundations


A civil court in Skopje, Macedonia, has ruled that police violated the rights of sex workers by detaining them in degrading conditions and forcing them to submit to medical tests for infectious diseases.

The police exposed the group of women to the media and public as criminals, despite the fact that they were not charged with a crime.


The facts of the case are remarkable in their flagrant abuse of basic human rights and decency, and the court’s decision is momentous in its conviction that sex workers, like all humans, deserve privacy, dignity, and the protection of the state.

With support from the Open Society Foundations, Healthy Options Project Skopje (HOPS) filed a lawsuit on behalf of 13 of the women who were detained.

In particular, the lawsuit charged that the women’s rights were violated by the police, the administrative court that ordered the forced medical testing, and the clinic that carried out the testing.

The civil court ruling found that the Ministry of Interior and the Skopje Court of First Instance 1 had
violated the right to:
- privacy,
- liberty, and
- security of persons, and
- freedom from torture or inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment,
and ordered that both defendants pay damages.

The court rejected the claims against the clinic since it had been following a court order and took measures to test each of the women in private.

While this decision will likely be appealed by the government, it is a significant legal victory.

For the 13 women, it is a victory in their pursuit of righting the wrongs that were committed against them on that night three years ago. For the citizens of Macedonia, it is a victory for the legal premise that the police and judicial system must adhere to international human rights standards and treat all citizens with due process, respect, and dignity.

For sex workers the world over, it is a victory for the fundamental principle that police and the state cannot act with impunity in their interactions with those who sell sex.

In short, it is confirmation that sex worker rights are human rights.


Author: David Scamell
Source (institute/publication): Open Society Foundations


www.hops.org.mk/info_en.htm
www.nswp.org/es/news-story/legal-victor ... -macedonia
http://blog.soros.org/2012/02/a-legal-v ... -macedonia







Siehe Schattenberichte vom Sexworker-Forum:
www.sexworker.at/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1497