Thanks again to Audacia and the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center for writing this guest blog post. Read & learn!
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by Audacia Ray
On Friday, August 13th, [link: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/new-law-allows-sex-trafficking-victims-to-clear-names/] Governor Paterson signed into law a bill that enables survivors of sex trafficking to vacate their convictions for prostitution-related offenses. This amendment to New York State Criminal Procedure Law grants those who were trafficked into commercial sex the opportunity to start over with a clean slate.
The new legislation empowers survivors of trafficking by allowing them to move on with their lives, and function in society without the stigma of past exploitation. People who are coerced into the sex industry and are then convicted of prostitution are handed a raw deal. In addition to being survivors of abuse and coercion, they are saddled with lifelong stigma by the criminal justice system. Survivors have a better chance of escaping re-victimization or further coercion when they do not have criminal records that often prevent them from obtaining work, getting stable housing, and adjusting their immigration status.
Since it was founded eight years ago the Sex Workers Project (SWP), a legal advocacy and services organization housed by the Urban Justice Center, has given legal assistance to many people who are in the sex industry by choice, circumstance, or coercion. As they assisted survivors of trafficking in accessing their rights and attaining safety, security, and a better future, it became clear that there was a need for a legal remedy that would allow survivors to move forward with their lives. SWP worked closely with Assembly Member Richard Gottfried to draft and introduce the bill in April 2009, which was also sponsored by Senator Thomas Duane. Other supporters included the New York City Bar Association, the New York Anti-Trafficking Network, and Sex Workers Action New York.
The passage of this bill has shown us that it is possible for sex workers’ rights advocates to have their say, and that there are state legislators who will listen to our concerns. Furthermore, our goals – to keep people engaged in the sex trade safer and healthier and ensure their access to full human rights – do not run counter to the goals of those who strive to end human trafficking. The passage of this bill gives us hope for changing a system that so often institutionalizes violence and discrimination against sex workers. There is much work to be done.
