Dear Friends,

UN Women has received a number of messages in recent days in relation to the note on sex work, sexual exploitation and trafficking you have received. This is to clarify that UN Women has not issued any official statement on sex work. We have sent an email to some NGO:s who have written to UN Women raising their concerns on the issue of criminalizing or decriminalizing the "sex industry".

The note was a technical clarification in response to specific queries that were put to us and does not comprehensively represent UN Women’s formal position on these complex issues.

UN Women fully understands that there are no simple answers to the human, legal, social and health issues raised by sex work, sexual exploitation and trafficking. Any form of violence, sexual exploitation and trafficking in persons in any shape or form must be condemned in the strongest terms, prevented and eliminated. UN Women strongly believes that any response must have the protection and promotion of women’s human rights at the center.

UN Women will continue to engage in discussions with all stakeholders, including Member States, civil society partners and the UN system. We are committed to working with partners to find the best approaches to this complex issue with a view to safeguarding and promoting women’s human rights and women’s empowerment.