Listen to Sex Workers!

The FOSTA/SESTA act passed by the president in mid-April actively harms the consensual sex work community.  This act has made it illegal to use websites such as Backpage, Craigslist, and Reddit in order to advertise sexual services.  The intention of this bill is to curve the rates of sex trafficking, and does not take into consideration the individuals participating in consensual sex work.  By forcing sex workers to end their online databases, sex workers no longer have a strong sense of autonomy over their own work.  Previously, they were able to run background checks, contact their community of sex workers, and conduct in-depth interview processes before agreeing to meet with a client.  This process provided sex workers with a sense of security that they no longer have. 

            Since the passing of the bill, many sex workers have been forced to return to street solicitation, putting them at risk for assault and kidnapping.  Pressure to secure basic necessities has forced many to agree to take on off the street clients who they only vaguely trust, whereas previously they were able to establish their own authority. 

            Sex workers have also noted the rising number of pimps who reach out to them now they their own business ventures have been removed from the internet.  Pimps are notorious for exploiting and abusing the sex workers who work for them, but they can provide a steady client base that street solicitation cannot.  Stigma around sex workers makes coming forward with cases of sexual assault on the job difficult as their testimony may result in imprisonment.  Essentially, the government has created a toxic environment for the sex industry as a whole. 

            In terms of sex trafficking, this bill has actually made it easier for traffickers to target individuals.  Street solicitation and a new willingness to engage with unknown clients makes sex workers more vulnerable to being kidnapped and forced into sex trafficking.  Essentially, this bill has only provided a blanket solution to sex trafficking that does much more harm than good. 

            No studies were conducted in order to understand what the sex workers themselves need or how they believe sex trafficking could be addressed, rather the bill was created by individuals that continue to refuse to believe in the autonomy and livelihood of a portion of the population.  Until people acknowledge the fact that the sex industry is a thriving industry made up of consensual sex workers who deserve to have their basic human rights honored then change will be hard to come by.  Sex workers are urging for the sex industry to be legalized so that they will finally have their rights and autonomy recognized before the law, and it is time that their voices are heard. 

Article on FOSTA/SESTA: https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/pax5pv/sesta-wont-stop-sex-trafficking-but-it-will-kill-sex-workers?utm_campaign=sharebutton