International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers 2025

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is observed on December 17, 2025. The day is celebrated by Sex workers, their advocates, friends, families and allies. It takes place annually. First celebrated in 2003, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is the brainchild of Dr. Annie Sprinkle and the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA, an American Sex Worker's Rights organization.

Originally conceived as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle Washington, it has evolved into an annual international event. The day calls attention to hate crimes committed against sex workers all over the globe as well as the need to remove the stigma and discrimination that is perpetuated by custom and prohibitionist laws that has made violence against sex-workers acceptable. The red umbrella has become an important symbol for Sex Workers Rights and it is increasingly being used on December 17.

A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is used in reference to all those in all areas of the sex industry including those who provide direct sexual services as well as the staff of such industries. Some sex workers are paid to engage in sexually explicit behavior which involve varying degrees of physical contact with clients (prostitutes, escorts, some professional dominants); pornography models and actors engage in sexually explicit behavior which are filmed or photographed. (With material from: Wikipedia)