PG Macioti is an activist, a researcher and a community organiser who has been working for over two decades for and with public health, advocacy and research projects by and for (migrants) sex workers and LGBTQI people in Italy, Spain, Germany, UK, Australia, US and France.

Background

Sex workers (SWs) are overexposed to various forms of violence, often underreported and undocumented. After experiencing violence, SWs struggle to access appropriate healthcare and social services. Since the adoption of the 2016 law criminalizing clients of SWs in France, Médecins du Monde (MdM) have documented an increase of violence against SWs and launched Jasmine, a community-led harm reduction program.

Description

Available in 10 languages, Jasmine enables SWs to anonymously report aggressions to their peers and verify if a potential client has already been signalled for violence thanks to a website and an Android application. Moreover, it provides practical tools such as a form automatically translated into French to seek appropriate medical follow-ups. Jasmine is ran by peers with sex work experience, and reached over 2500 SWs users in October 2024. Per month, Jasmine prevents an average of 250 acts of violence against SWs. The data collected helps identify patterns of violence and informs interventions and advocacy. Jasmine also organizes trainings for professionals in the social and health sectors to enhance their understanding of the realities faced by SWs.

Lessons Learned

Our community-led approach has been key to overcoming distrust in support systems and fostering SW participation. The data collection revealed previously unreported forms of violence. However, challenges remain regarding data security and anonymity. There is also a need to further improve outreach to particularly isolated groups, including undocumented migrants and younger people selling sexual services.

Conclusion

The Jasmine project demonstrates the effectiveness of harm-reduction community-led approaches in combating violence against SWs and enhancing their access to support services. By empowering SWs to actively participate in data collection, awareness raising and advocacy, Jasmine helps provide better responses to this marginalized population’s needs. This model could be adapted and replicated in other contexts to support populations at risk of violence.