END HUMAN TRAFFICKING. PROMOTE HEALTH & SAFETY

ISSUE•#62 – APRIL 2025      In this issue: DSW Staff Testifies in RI and NH DSW Featured at Symposium on Policing Commercial Sex Work NYPD Officers Assault and Extort Sex Workers Gone Girls, the Gilgo Beach Murders, and the Case for Immunity Laws for Sex Workers DSW Staff Testifies in RI and NH  March 18:  DSW staff has been busy testifying on sex work related bills around the Northeast. Staff Attorney Rebecca Cleary and Chief Advocacy Coordinator Henri Bynx testified before the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee in support of S810, which would fully decriminalize consensual adult sex work in the state. Following impassioned testimony from both supporters and opponents, the bill was held for further study.  Rebecca Cleary was in New Hampshire twice in April to testify against two dangerous bills. SB267 would increase penalties for clients of sex workers, … Rebecca Cleary testifies before the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee.  Read more

DSW Featured at Symposium on Policing Commercial Sex Work  April 4:  Earlier this month, DSW Staff Attorney Becca Cleary spoke on a panel at the Symposium on Policing Commercial Sex Work, held at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV. The panel, titled “Policing Sex Work: Community Impact and Legal Resources,” focused on how policing practices affect sex workers and how legal and policy responses can either compound harm or promote safety.  Cleary was joined by Commissioner Tick Segerblom, Chair of the Clark County Commission; Amy Marie Merrell, Co-Executive Director of Programs & Development at The Cupcake Girls; and Emily Coombes, a Ph.D. candidate and member of the Red Umbrella Collective.  A recurring theme throughout the panel — and the symposium as a whole — was the urgent need for laws that protect sex workers from criminal liability when seeking help. Often referred to as “immunity” or “Good Samaritan” laws, these measures ensure that sex workers who are victims of or witnesses to a … Event flyer.  Read more

NYPD Officers Assault and Extort Sex Workers  March 31:  The recent arrest of two rookie New York Police Department (NYPD) officers, Justin Colon and Justin McMillian, for groping and stealing from sex workers in Queens, NY, highlights the dangers of criminalizing consensual adult sex work. These officers, while responding to a prostitution call, used their authority to rob and sexually assault women in the line of duty. They even turned off their body cameras to cover their tracks, in a deliberate attempt to evade … Read more

Gone Girls, the Gilgo Beach Murders, and the Case for Immunity Laws for Sex Workers  April 15:  The new documentary Gone Girls shines a light on one of the most disturbing unsolved serial murder cases in recent American history: the Gilgo Beach, NY, killings. By centering the lives of the women whose remains were found along a stretch of Long Island coastline — many of them sex workers — the film not only revisits the haunting details of the crimes, but also interrogates the broader systems that failed them. In doing so, Gone Girls powerfully demonstrates the need for immunity laws, which Decriminalize Sex Work advocates for around the country, that would protect sex workers and survivors of trafficking who come forward to report abuse, … Photo: Netflix.  Mission Statement To end the prohibition of consensual adult prostitution, and to improve policies relating to all forms of sex work.  Decriminalize Sex Work is a national organization pursuing a state-by-state strategy to end the prohibition of consensual adult prostitution in the United States. We work with local organizations, advocates, and lobbyists to build community support and convince legislators to stop prostitution-related arrests. Evidence shows that decriminalizing sex work will help end human trafficking, improve public health, and promote community safety. httpss://decriminalizesex.work/about/newsletter/