The history of International Sex Workers Day began in the 1970s in France. Back then, prostitution was legal in France, but surrounding activities were illegal like pimping, operating a brothel, or paying for sex with someone underage. Nevertheless, police kept sex worker under increasing pressure, forcing them to work in secret. Sex workers weren’t protected, which led to increasing violence against them. The government did nothing to improve the situation.
2025 IWD English Collective
2 June marks the day in 1975 when 150+ sex workers occupied the Church of St. Nizier in Lyon, France. A banner was hung over the church façade 'Our children don't want their mothers in prison’ The occupation was sparked by the brutal torture and murder of sex workers and a police crackdown against women. Within weeks churches had been occupied all over France and today’s international sex workers’ rights movement had been launched!
2023 June 3rd: Intl S/W Day
On June 2, 1975, over 100 sex workers in Lyon, France, engaged in a civil disobedience action that involved a week-long occupation of St. Nizer Church. The aim of the action was to generate a high-profile campaign which would highlight the State sanctioned police harassment of street based sex workers, the disgraceful in-action of police in responding to violence perpetrated against the Lyon sex worker community by a serial sexual assault offender, and the refusal of the French Minister for Women to engage in dialogue with French sex workers.
2020 COVID-19 Hurts by David Block
David Block has numerous articles published on disability, and also the dangers sex workers face. He is a Temple University graduate.
We Acknowledge: IWD 2019
NSWP dot org on International Whores Day: On 2 June 1975, approximately 100 sex workers occupied Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France, to express their anger about their criminalised and exploitative living conditions. On 10 June at 5 o'clock the Church was brutally raided by police forces. This action sparked a national movement, and the day is now celebrated in Europe and around the world.
Worker Survivor Community Archive 
You must be logged in to post a comment.