Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: crime prevention, the oldest profession
In case you hadn’t heard, tomorrow is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Here’s what SWOP (The Sex Workers Outreach Project) has to say about it on their website:
December 17th is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. This event was created to call attention to hate crimes committed against sex workers all over the globe. The laws against prostitution are harmful to society. They perpetuate the abuse of otherwise law-abiding citizens, particularly women. They allow people like the Green River killer in Seattle, Washington to rationalize violent and murderous behavior toward prostitutes, especially women. “I wanted to kill as many … as I possibly could. I knew they would not be reported missing right away, and might never be reported. I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught.” (Superior Ct. of WA for King Co.; State of Washington vs. Gary Leon Ridgway, Statement of Defendant on Plea of Guilty). Gary Leon Ridway was sentenced to 48 life terms and was fined $10,000 for each victim on December 18, 2003.
Unequal protection under the law is what allows prostitutes to be pimped, enslaved, beaten, raped and murdered. If decriminalized, sex workers would have access to protection from criminals just like every other citizen. In addition, enormous amounts of public safety revenues are spent enforcing sex “crimes” that occur in private, in which the participants are consenting and there is no victim.
We believe the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas gives lawmakers the legal authority to take steps to begin repealing the laws against prostitution. We are asking the citizens of the United States to demand that their elected officials adopt resolutions imploring US states move forward with legislation that will not only protect sex workers from violent criminals, but will also allow occupational and civil rights.
Consensual sexual activity between or among adults, whether or not for money or other consideration should be legal, and no adult in this state should be punished, or denied any right or privilege, for engaging in such activity.
This event has been published in books, and has grown to over 100 locations worldwide. It has been officially sanctioned by the cities of San Francisco and Berkeley, also by the State of California.
There’s stuff going on to commemorate the day in a bunch of cities, including New York, Montreal, San Francisco and Atlanta, as well as smaller places like Burlington, Vermont and Lansing, Michigan. There’s also an online vigil at the SWOP East website.
As far as I can tell there are no events planned in New England except that one Vermont one.
