Today people in at least twenty cities across the world will be calling attention to crimes against sex workers, namely prostitutes, in the wake of serial killer Gary Ridgeway�s dozens of murder victims. From San Francisco to Taiwan to Brussels, activists across the globe are calling attention to the need to decriminalize prostitution and afford sex workers the basic rights given to everyone.

The International Memorial Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, originally intended to be a one-off event, gained momentum as word spread and more and more cities joined up, organizing the sex workers to raise attention to their plight. It looks like it will be an annual event - Robyn Few, one of the organizers, told AVN.com that cities have already started asking to be able to participate in next year�s memorial.

�So, yeah. I guess is it going to be an annual event,� she said, moments before she walked into City Hall to present a petition to Oakland�s City Council calling for a decriminalization of prostitution. Few expects the city will be receptive to the petition.

�I�ll tell you why. They just arrested Shannon Williams (a Berkley teacher who was arrested for prostitution, whose case became a public relations disaster for the city) and made national news because of that,� Few said. �This is ridiculous and it�s s time to stop wasting our money going after prostitutes, when our murder and other violent crime rates are so high.� Full Story...