Within CAAAV: Women Workers Project

The Women Workers Project (WWP) was established in the summer of 1996 by CAAAV members to support Asian immigrant sex workers against exploitation by providing an environment in which they could organize to ensure their rights to things such as safe workplace conditions, health care, and fair wages. [1] This project became even more critical after Rudolph Giuliani’s 1993 "Quality of Life" mayoral campaign, which had police targeting women (usually Asian and Latina immigrants) working in parlors and brothels. This action by Giuliani and the NYPD made it difficult for sex workers to seek assistance due to fears of immigration concerns, arrest, and assault. [2]

By the fall of 1996, the WWP began advertising itself more broadly to include all women working in informal service industries, like domestic workers. [3] Both sex workers and domestic workers had similar demographics, the majority being Asian immigrant women who were particularly vulnerable to exploitation and oppression by society. 

For domestic workers, the WWP's mission was to provide workers with a supportive space to promote collective action towards bettering labor and living conditions. One early goal for the project was developing a standard contract for all domestic workers city-wide. [4]

“Asian woman gets her blood pressure checked at health fair, 2003, CAAAV Digital Archive

Health fair in Woodside, Queens by WWP, May 2008, CAAAV Digital Archive

A popular form of assistance provided to WWP members was educational and professional development programs. One of the earliest courses offered was an English class at a Korean massage parlor in Manhattan. [5]

The collective later developed a month-long course called "Asian Women's Leadership and Health Advocacy" that was held at Hunter College. This course was offered twice to members between 2001 and 2003. It provided a space for women workers to discuss and strategize about issues facing their community, especially regarding safety conditions and access to health care. [6] These courses ultimately led to many community-based activities by the WWP centering on public health, specifically "health fairs," which gave free screenings to workers and non-workers. 

Another program implemented by the group was "Justice Clinic" in 1999, which enabled peer advocacy for issues around labor, immigration, and police brutality. [7]