Banning sex work will be considered unthinkable 50 years from now

In spring 2016, the human rights advocacy organization Amnesty International took a bold step: It officially endorsed sex work decriminalization as the most effective and humane political response to sex work. The decision was controversial - the summer before the policy paper's release, a number of prominent feminist activists, including Gloria Steinem, signed an open letter warning the organization that if it supported decriminalization, its reputation would be "severely and irreparably tarnished." Yet there is good reason to believe that decades from now, we'll see this time period as the beginning of the end of a long chapter of oppression, abuse, and the vilification of a highly misunderstood profession. [...]

The decriminalization of sex work is not an endorsement of sex trafficking or any exploitation or abuse that sex workers experience on the job. To the contrary, decriminalization merely gives adults the freedom to choose this line of work, and makes it vastly easier for those who are victims of trafficking, or experiencing abuse within the workplace, to seek assistance without fear of being thrown into jail.

source: Article 'Banning sex work will be considered unthinkable 50 years from now' by Lux Alptraum; www.vox.com/2019/3/27/18175672/sex-worker-criminalization; Vox; Updated: 3 April 2019; Published probably (due to name url): 27 March 2019