Decriminalization of sex work is important, more than ever. Given the nature of (some) men, a woman choosing sex work as a profession is putting herself at a high risk of multiple forms of abuse and assault by default.
The current situation
Sure there are screening processes and blacklists but they can’t cover all the areas. On top of things there the threats outside the in person meeting. There is stalking, cyberbullying, hacking attempts, discrimination by hosting providers, payment processors, banks and so on.
The types of abuse
The abuse it self doesn’t need to be the commonly known suspected sexual abuse and assault. It can be economic abuse in form of payment providers closing their account without paying out the money in it, the webhosting provider not releasing their domain and more.
Pushed in helplessness
With sex work being criminalized, there is little to nothing a sex worker can to get what is their legal right. Their work itself is deemed illegal. They can’t turn to the police and ask for support as in many states the police is already waiting for the next chance to shut them down. In many cases the police is not helpful as they tend to practice victim blaming in abuse cases. Stigmata is faced, like: “surely the woman must have done something to provoke the situation” or “should have thought of this risk before taking the job”.
At the end of the day, women still need to pay bills and rent like everybody else.
On decriminalization
If sex work is decriminalized, women have better options or they have options at all to fight the discriminations and abuse they face by men, by the system, by payment processors, by banks, by companies.
Yes there is legalization, but…
Legalization is an option in some, but not all countries and states. There are countries where, if a kind of work is legalized it automatically requires qualifications, certifications permits and comes with all sorts of regulations. This takes away a huge portion of the sex workers income.
Let’s start small. Let’s give women in sex work a basic right to do their work without being prosecuted, penalized or even jailed. They should have the same basic methods to fight harassment, abuse and sexual assault on the job, like every other working woman (theoretically) has too.
What can you do to help?
Get in touch with your voted State representative and County/City officials, talk to others and explain them the importance of this issue, ask candidates up for election for their stand in this matter and vote for the candidate who supports this cause.
If we can support sex worker in this cause, we will reduce risk of abuse, risk of trauma, risk of PTSD, risk of suicide and we will help giving women who are major pillars of our society since at least Ancient Greece the rights they deserve.
- Sex worker rights are women rights
- Sex worker rights are human rights
- Women rights are human rights.
Further information
Find further and more detailed information with facts and numbers here: https://www.aclu.org/news/topic/its-time-to-decriminalize-sex-work#:~:text=What%20does%20decriminalization%20mean%3F,not%20the%20same%20as%20legalization.