Les amis du bus des femmes
Encyclopedia
Les amis du bus des femmes is a french association established in 1990 by former sex workers as a support group for sex workers.
The original initiative stemmed from a need to educate sex workers on AIDS
. It quickly became established as a bridging organisation between sex workers on the street and the provision of medical, social and administrative services. Its Paris
headquarters is open daily to the population it serves. In addition it has six permanent mobile units (buses) operating day and night in the areas frequented by sex workers in the capital, staffed by organisational and health professionals.
The principal mission of the association, whose administration consists of both sex workers and non-sex workers, is to work with and for sex workers to prevent HIV
, hepatitis
and sexually transmitted diseases. They distribute condoms and encourage sex workers to visit the office to get help with administrative, medical, and social needs, and conducts job searches for those who decide to transition out of sex work. Emphasis is placed on helping workers access their health, social and human rights. The objective is to enable workers to develop an environment that supports an active role for them in stating their needs and demands. In working with and for sex workers, the association fights against discrimination
, social exclusion
and human trafficking
.
The association opposes abolitionism and its objective to eradicate sex work, and recognizes that some women have freely chosen to engage in sex work and that that choice must be respected. The association deals with both voluntary and involuntary sex workers, such as those trafficked from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
Currently the association has fourteen employees including doctors and nurses, facilitators and an employment counsellor. It is funded from government grants which are allocated by agencies such as DASS
Paris (Direction départementale des Affaires sanitaires et sociales), the Paris conseil général, the CPAM de Paris (Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie) and the Conseil régional
.
The original initiative stemmed from a need to educate sex workers on AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. It quickly became established as a bridging organisation between sex workers on the street and the provision of medical, social and administrative services. Its Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
headquarters is open daily to the population it serves. In addition it has six permanent mobile units (buses) operating day and night in the areas frequented by sex workers in the capital, staffed by organisational and health professionals.
The principal mission of the association, whose administration consists of both sex workers and non-sex workers, is to work with and for sex workers to prevent HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
and sexually transmitted diseases. They distribute condoms and encourage sex workers to visit the office to get help with administrative, medical, and social needs, and conducts job searches for those who decide to transition out of sex work. Emphasis is placed on helping workers access their health, social and human rights. The objective is to enable workers to develop an environment that supports an active role for them in stating their needs and demands. In working with and for sex workers, the association fights against discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
, social exclusion
Social exclusion
Social exclusion is a concept used in many parts of the world to characterise contemporary forms of social disadvantage. Dr. Lynn Todman, director of the Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, suggests that social exclusion refers to processes in which...
and human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
.
The association opposes abolitionism and its objective to eradicate sex work, and recognizes that some women have freely chosen to engage in sex work and that that choice must be respected. The association deals with both voluntary and involuntary sex workers, such as those trafficked from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
Currently the association has fourteen employees including doctors and nurses, facilitators and an employment counsellor. It is funded from government grants which are allocated by agencies such as DASS
Dass
-As a surname:* Anuj Dass, Indian cricketer* Baba Dharam Dass, ancestor worshiped by Jains in Pasrur, Pakistan* Baba Hari Dass, Indian monk* Dean Dass, English cricketer* Petter Dass, Norwegian poet* Ram Dass, American professor of psychology...
Paris (Direction départementale des Affaires sanitaires et sociales), the Paris conseil général, the CPAM de Paris (Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie) and the Conseil régional
Conseil régional
A Regional Council is the elected assembly of a region of France.-History:Regional councils were created by law on 5 July 1972. Originally they were simply consultative bodies consisting of the region's parliamentary representatives plus an equal number of members nominated by the departments and...
.