International Seminar
29 October 2021
Location: Brotéria – Cultural Centre
R. São Pedro de Alcântara 3, Lisbon
The Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights invites you to the International Seminar EXIT | Women’s human right not to be prostituted.
Three years after the International Conference EXIT | Prostitution system, the objectives of this International Seminar that we now organizing are:
To promote awareness and discussion on the latest international, European and national developments in combating sexual exploitation in the system of prostitution, within the framework of the Portuguese State’s commitments to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and the achievement of equality between women and men, girls and boys.
To contribute to public policies in Portugal for combating sexual exploitation in the system of prostitution, at the national and local levels, by presenting the results and recommendations contained in the first diagnostic study on women in the system of prostitution in Lisbon, and to discuss the appropriation of this study by leaders and experts of the public administration, women’s organizations, youth organizations, feminist men, local authorities, migrant organizations and NGOs that provide field support to women in the prostitution system.
To foster intergenerational dialogue between young feminists critical of the normalization of sexual exploitation in the system of prostitution and members of political parties represented at the Portuguese Parliament, thereby enriching the democratic debate and closing the gap between young citizens and the legislative power.
This project was implemented in Portugal together with Assembleia Feminista de Lisboa, Associação de Mulheres Contra a Violência, Associação Projecto Criar, Associação Ser Mulher, EOS – Associação de Estudos, Cooperação e Desenvolvimento, O Ninho, Ergue-te, CIAF, Mén Non – Associação das Mulheres de São Tomé e Príncipe em Portugal, MDM – Movimento Democrático de Mulheres and Rede de Jovens para a Igualdade.
Programme Speakers Sign-up!
Programme
| 09:30 | Registration |
| 10:15 |
OpeningAna Sofia Fernandes, President of the Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights Ellen Aabø, Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Norway in Portugal Lina Lopes, Subcommittee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Assembly of the Republic Rosa Monteiro, Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality |
| 11:00 |
Documentary screening Consent is not for sale |
| 11:30 |
Sexual exploitation: A universal violation of Women’s Human Rights and an obstacle to equality between women and menIt all starts with the violence of the mafias that seize women, and the owners of bars and clubs, for whom our lives are worthless. If one of us dies, they’ll find a replacement soon enough. All this, this is what’s violence. Violence is having sex with multiple men in one day. Agnete Strøm, Space International and Kvinnefronten Norway Anna Ekstedt, Anti-trafficking Ambassador at Large, Sweden Cândida Alves, survivor of the system of prostitution Catríona Graham, Policy and Campaigns Officer, European Women’s Lobby Regina Tavares da Silva, former member of the UN CEDAW Committee Manuel Albano, National Rapporteur of the National Plan Against Trafficking in Human Beings Moderator: Mariana Cunha, project’s officer at the Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights (PpDM) Debate with participants |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 |
Results and products of the project EXIT | Women’s human rights not to be prostitutedOnly those who run out of options end up on the streets. Nobody is worth anything, neither the customers nor us. And once you’re there, you just remain, because you don’t have anything to lose anymore. You’re there, but you might just as well not be. For them we are not people, for us they are not people either. Diana Pinto, PpDM | Young people driving social equality: awareness and multiplier actions, National Gathering of Young Abolitionists, Feminist Abolitionist Retreat, and the exhibition “18 Myths on Prostitution” Pedro Diogo Vaz, CEO BUS Agency | The Campaign “If you have to pay, you are worthless” Maria José Núncio, ISCSP UL | Diagnostic study on women in the system of prostitution in Lisbon Cristina Rodrigues, MP | State budget 2021 pilot project for diagnosis, support and monitoring of people in prostitution and project of bill No. 851/XIV/2nd, Implements the equality model and reinforces the protection of people in Prostitution Sandra Benfica, MDM, Portugal Hilde Bjørnstad, Kvinnefronten, Norway Moderator: Alexandra Silva, PpDM and Vice-President of EOS – Association of Studies, Cooperation and Development Debate with comments from: |
| 15:30 |
EXIT Shaping public policies at local and national level: what do public administration officials say?What infuriates me is that I started in prostitution because I needed money to support myself and my boy, because my husband had abandoned us. And then he used that to take my son away from me. Carlos Manuel Alves Pereira, member of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ) Marisa Mateus, Head of Social Intervention Division of the Department for Social Rights of the Lisbon City Council (CML) Leonor Salgueiro, Officer at the Department of Vocational Training of the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) Sandra Ribeiro, President of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) Catarina Marcelino, Vice-President of the Institute of Social Security (ISS) Moderator: Ana Coucello, former President of the Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights (PpDM) Debate |
| 16:30 | Break |
| 17:00 |
Round Table – Young people challenge political partiesThe day I found myself weighing 32kg and in a room with several men who had raped me, I knew I had to leave. Maria João Faustino, addresses the Left Block (BE) representative, Beatriz Gomes Dias Teresa Silva, addresses the Portuguese Comunist Party (PCP) representative, MEP Sandra Pereira Catarina Alves, addresses the Animals and Nature Party (PAN) representative, Bebiana Cunha Aline Rossi, addresses the Socialist Party (PS) representative, Elza Pais Cláudia Canarim, addresses the Conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDS/PP) representative, Cecília Anacoreta Correia Neusa Sousa, addresses the Greens’ Party (PEV) representative, Mariana Silva Ludmila Mendes and Sandra Esteves will pose complementary questions Moderator: Diana Pinto, project’s officer at PpDM Debate |
| 18:00 |
ClosingIlidiacolina Vera Cruz, Board Member of the Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights and President of Mén Non – Association of Women from Sao Tome & Prince in Portugal Mafalda Leónidas, Deputy manager of the program Active Citizens/EEA Grants Cláudia Prazeres, Director of the Social Rights Department of the Lisbon City Council António Filipe, Vice-President of the Portuguese Parliament |
