We are very happy to announce that the Paulo Longo Research Initiative (PLRI) has now launched its new website. The PLRI is a collaborative group of researchers, advocates, policy analysts and sex workers that aims to generate, strengthen and consolidate research and policy on sex work in order to improve the human rights, health and wellbeing of female, male and transgender sex workers. The PLRI's core partners are the Institute of Development Studies, the Global Network of Sex Work Projects and the Centre for Advocacy on Stigma and Marginalisation.

The PLRI website was launched on the 19th of December 2009 to acknowledge the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, an event initiated by the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA to commemorate sex worker victims of violence and to draw attention to the victimisation that sex workers are subject to globally.

The PLRI website is a substantial library of resources about sex work in the context of economics, law, health, gender and sexuality, and migration. As it grows the site will increasingly showcase important research findings, host discussions between academics and sex workers and provide text and video news about relevant events and publications. The site will provide health service providers, policy makers, social workers, human rights advocates and students with invaluable opportunities to learn about issues that affect sex workers. For more information, readers can access a media release available on the website

We strongly encourage those with an interest in sex work to engage with the PLRI website and to explore the extensive resources available. Further, if any readers know of academic or other papers related to sex work that might be of interest to the PLRI, please contact them on plri@ids.ac.uk so they can add the relevant links to their database.