Latest modern slavery fight updates - FreedomUnited.org

U.S. anti-trafficking organizations constrained on sex workers’ rights

  • Published on
    September 3, 2021
  • News Source Image
  • Category:
    Law & Policy
Hero Banner

The U.S. government makes around $300 million in funding available annually for anti-trafficking organizations, a significant amount for the sector to continue providing direct services to survivors and advocate for legislative and policy changes to help build communities resilient to trafficking.

However, the ‘Anti-Prostitution Pledge’, a legislative provision for recipients of this federal funding, restricts anti-trafficking organizations’ ability to advocate for the decriminalization of sex work as a means to preventing trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Grantees are limited by signing a statement that they will not “promote, support, or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution”, causing anti-trafficking organizations to err on the side of caution when discussing effective trafficking prevention strategies as they relate to sex workers.

While some organizations posit that there is room to maneuver around the language in the pledge so as to be able to continue openly supporting sex workers and the decriminalization of sex work, for many the threat of audits and loss of funding is too real to risk.

openDemocracy reports:

The power of the Anti-Prostitution Pledge is partly due to the limited sources of funding that anti-trafficking organisations have outside the federal government. Local community foundations can rarely sustain these programmes, and national funders are unlikely to fund direct service provision at a national scale – the bread and butter of most of anti-trafficking organisations.

Philanthropic foundations are also strongly inclined to stay ‘on the fence’ regarding sex work. In 2019-2020, the Sex Worker Donor Collaborative worked with Strength in Numbers to research global funding for sex worker rights, including what strategies would help funders to deepen existing support or unlock new funding. In addition to the tragically low amounts of funding available (less than 1% of human rights funding in 2018 was given to sex workers’ rights), we also identified several reasons why philanthropists are reluctant to stand a stand.

Arguably, the pledge has made it comfortable for some anti-trafficking organizations to avoid taking a position when it comes to advocating for the decriminalization of sex work. It’s time for allies in the anti-trafficking space to no longer remain silent and ensure sex workers are engaged in developing trafficking prevention strategies and policies to better protect these workers from violence and exploitation.

To learn more about the links between sex workers’ rights and building resilience to trafficking, visit our dedicated research hub.

Subscribe

Freedom United is interested in hearing from our community and welcomes relevant, informed comments, advice, and insights that advance the conversation around our campaigns and advocacy. We value inclusivity and respect within our community. To be approved, your comments should be civil.

stop icon A few things we do not tolerate: comments that promote discrimination, prejudice, racism, or xenophobia, as well as personal attacks or profanity. We screen submissions in order to create a space where the entire Freedom United community feels safe to express and exchange thoughtful opinions.

Notify of
guest
2 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Prof. Emeritus Ferrel Christensen
Prof. Emeritus Ferrel Christensen
2 years ago

You are on the right track. Those who lump consensual prostitution in with genuine trafficking are really just anti-sex.

Lesley
Lesley
2 years ago

This is really hypocritical because so many people are trafficked for sex work. If we can’t just be honest about sex work, we should at least carve out an exception for this.

This week

New legal precedents: the case of Tuff Torq Corp’s child labor violations

Tuff Torq Corp., a Tennessee-based manufacturing company is facing substantial fines close to $300,000 for exploiting children and violating child labor laws by having them operate hazardous machinery and work illegal hours, as declared by the Department of Labor (DOL). These specific fines are unique to other child labor law violation cases for the new legal precedents they set. The company which is known for producing power equipment parts for brands

| Monday March 25, 2024

Read more