DSW Staff Testifies in RI and NH

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, including jail time. HB405, which initially proposed a study commission to address concerns in the state around human trafficking was amended to immediately increase criminalization around sex work. In response to residents’ concerns around the number of massage parlors in the state where human trafficking or sex work may be taking place, the bill would criminalize anyone who knowingly allows prostitution to take place in a location they “control.”

Rather than addressing the underlying issues of exploitation, these measures create additional barriers to safety, resources, and legal protection for sex workers. These bills contribute to a broader pattern of conflating consensual adult sex work with human trafficking, ultimately misdirecting law enforcement resources. Instead of addressing actual cases of exploitation, these measures fail to improve the safety or well-being of sex workers and push sex work further underground, making it more difficult for workers to access support, services, or protections. Despite compelling testimony from Cleary and other advocates for sex worker rights, the bills continue to make their way through the New Hampshire General Assembly.