Mónica Calvo and Cristy Roque © Nick Sireau/ Progressio

Nick Sireau describes a visit to Flor de Piedra ('Stone Flowers') in El Salvador

It's a sweltering hot morning in San Salvador as we make our way to the office of Flor de Piedra, a Progressio partner organisation which provides counselling, support, legal advice and political advocacy for sex workers. We step inside and join a meeting of the Organisation of Sex Workers of El Salvador, a small group linked to Flor de Piedra. They're electing their new director.

It's a cheerful atmosphere, with lots of talking and laughing. They discuss their plans for the next few years, particularly how to defend their rights in the face of widespread repression and stigmatisation. It's not easy, but now that they're more organised, they are starting to make a difference.

Elizabeth, a member of the group, tells me her story. She's 41, has four children, has just become a grandmother, and has worked for 10 years as a sex worker.

The right to respect

She says: 'I was working in the clothes factories, as a domestic worker, doing ironing and washing people's clothes. But when I separated from my partner, I had a financial crisis. I felt desperate.'

A friend suggested she do some other kind of work. She said that Elizabeth should come with her. Elizabeth wasn't sure what she was talking about, but decided to follow her to a park. That was her first experience as a sex worker.

'I didn't like it at first. It felt dirty. I felt uncomfortable. But then after a month, I saw my income was going up much more than with any other job. There was lots of work back then. Competition was low.'

But it was a violent job. Sometimes the police would harass her or clients would beat her up, which is how she came into contact with Flor de Piedra six years ago. She started coming to the centre and attending workshops. She says: 'I found out about my rights, that I have a right to free movement and to respect.'

Standing up for themselves

She and other members of Flor de Piedra went to meet the police, who agreed to stop harassing them, although she admits that they don't always stick to their word.

Her mother, meanwhile, wasn't too happy. 'Are these the principles I taught you? How can you be doing this?' she would ask. She would start saying things to Elisabeth's children to turn them against her. Now, though, after years of dialogue, her mother is less condemning and more compassionate.

Angelica is another member of Flor de Piedra. She's aged 32 and started as a sex worker in 1991. Initially, she was just accompanying rich professionals to special events and conferences. Occasionally, she would sleep with them. They would try to ply her with drugs, but she'd refuse. Since then, she's worked across Central America and in all kinds of environments: bars, clubs, streets, hotels.

By 1995, her situation was becoming more difficult. The police were aggressive and income was dropping. So she started attending Flor de Piedra's courses on gender, self-esteem and leadership. She started joining in Flor de Piedra's political advocacy for the rights of sex workers and to change municipal laws.

She says: 'I suffered a lot. I used to get beaten by the police. I had to live through much violence. But not any more, because of Flor de Piedra.'

Living their lives

Mónica Calvo is Progressio's development worker with Flor de Piedra. She's a communications expert and has been helping Flor de Piedra and the Organisation of Sex Workers of El Salvador to manage their public profile more effectively. She's trained them to speak to the press and to put together effective communications materials, and has participated in their protests.

She says: 'Most people don't consider sex workers as equals. They think that they do it because they like it. There's impunity for crimes against sex workers - six were murdered last year.

'Many people think we're promoting sex work, but we're not. It's just that we don't tell them how to live their lives. We're here to provide support.'

All of Flor de Piedra's members have harrowing stories to tell. They've experienced violence and rejection frequently. Yet all agree that joining Flor de Piedra has been one of the best things that has happened to them. As Angelica says: 'Flor de Piedra feels like a light on the path.'