Date: Wednesday, April 8, 1998

To: All sexworkers and other people working for organizations and associations involved with prostitution.

Please fill out our questionaire!

As you might know, this year the 12th World AIDS Conference is being held in Geneva, from June 28th to July 3rd, 1998. For this special occasion, people involved personally or professionally with AIDS/HIV will be coming to Geneva from all over the world. ASPASIE, the Geneva Association involved with prostitution (active since 1982) is taking advantage of this unique opportunity to organize an informal conference addressed specifically to people directly involved with prostitution.

This Conference is specifically designed for sexworkers, social workers and other people directly concerned with prostitution; its objectives are to:

• Create a suitable platform to share ideas and experiences about prostitution,

• Create an opportunity for participants to interact informally,

• Reflect on the evolution of the situation,

• Define priorities and initiate collaborations,

• initiate Network and community involvement.

In order to define the interests of potential participants, we ask you to fill in the enclosed questionnaire and return it back no later than April 15, 1998.

As an example of priorities and interests (see Question 6, next page), one subject we are investigating at ASPASIE, in collaboration with the BOULEVARD Project and the FLEUR DE PAVE Association (Lausanne) is "How to involve clients with HIV/STD prevention". It is our local experience that more and more clients are asking for unsafe sex practice and we would like to explore this specific issue.

Upon assessment of priorities and interests expressed by all of you, we will then define the subjects of plenary sessions and workshop sessions, and send you invitations for the Conference, as well as a full program of the venue and conditions for participation. A participation fee will be asked to all participants; it will be kept to a minimum.

The Conference will be held in the heart of Geneva in a Community facility which can host a maximum of 200 participants, we strongly urge you therefore to register as soon as you can.

We kindly ask you to send copies of this document, including the attached questionnaire, to all people, associations, organizations directly concerned with prostitution and interested with the Conference.

We are looking forward to hear from you and meet you in Geneva this coming June.

Sincerely,

-- The Conference organization Committee