Although I’d prefer it if we didn’t need to have such a day, unfortunately, we do, we very very much do. Why? Because of this. The link takes you to a very long list of sex workers who were killed in 2011.
There will always be violence, and there will always be violence perpetrated against women because they are seen as easy targets, but violence against sex workers can be drastically reduced. We continue to support and enforce laws that deny people the agency to use their bodies however they see fit. We do not do this consistently: you can have sex for money as long as the person paying you isn’t the one having sex with you, as in pornography. Gold digging is perfectly legal, so is modeling and private cam shows where you can pay someone to to act out your secret fantasies live via webcam. As a society we allow the human body to be used as a commodity in almost every way imaginable, except the most simple: a straight forward exchange. This means that a sex worker has to use circuitous routes to sell their wares; this situation fosters violence in several ways.
For street workers this means being pushed into the black market where violence is already common. However, as criminals, they cannot turn to the police when they have been the victims of violence, or are in danger of becoming so. This means that violent Johns or pimps are rarely prosecuted for their crimes, leaving little deterrence against abuse.
Criminalizing sex work also leaves a mark on society’s psyche. Consumers of sex work are left feeling guilty for their actions, which can lead to feelings of resentment against the person providing the service. Furthermore, the sex workers themselves feel the stigma of criminality, which can lead to feeling that they deserve whatever abuse they receive. Prohibiting a simple exchange means that a straightforward aboveboard contract is difficult to impossible, leaving room for unhappiness on both sides of the exchange, a situation which engenders violence.
As political and moral as people want to make it, it’s still simple; if we want to reduce violence against sex workers we need to decriminalize sex work. The fact that we choose not to shows where our priorities lie.
For more information about The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, and how you can participate, click here.
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