In 2003 the Bush administration adopted a rule stipulating that any organization receiving US funds for HIV/AIDS prevention must sign an "anti-prostitution pledge." The pledge requirement, introduced by right-wing New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith (R), has had devastating effects on humanitarian organizations worldwide, crippling the ability of NGOs to work with the populations most at risk from HIV, isolating sex worker advocacy organizations from their allies, and fueling discrimination against sex workers and gay people.

Because of its vague, confusing language, and because it blocks groups receiving USAID money even from using their own private funds to aid vulnerable sex workers, the pledge has effectively gutted the otherwise-laudible President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a five-year, $15 billion effort to fight the spread of the virus. Arguably, it means that PEPFAR has done more harm than good. Last year, in response to a lawsuit by the Soros Foundation's Open Society Institute, a federal judge here in New York found that the pledge violated the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech. Rather than drop the requirement, however, USAID and the Department of Health and Human Services moved last month to make things even more difficult for humanitarian groups.

Now, the Network of Sex Work Projects has produced a 13-minute video called "Taking the Pledge," which interviews activists from a number of countries affected by the policy, documenting some of the harm it has done. An accompanying NSWP fact sheet explains why the pledge is so misguided:

These policies run contrary to best practices in public health and are undermining efforts to stem the spread of HIV and human trafficking. The restrictions preclude recipients of US funds from using proven effective practices to prevent the spread of HIV among marginalized populations, and undermine efforts to promote the fundamental human rights of all persons.  read more »