Tag: trafficking

Fears that large sporting events fuel spikes in rates of human trafficking are unfounded. Every February, the rumor that the Super Bowl is a giant human trafficking hub is voraciously circulated by law enforcement, the government, and the media. Yet, time and time again, research continues to find absolutely no correlation between the Super Bowl and human trafficking.

“Fact or Fiction: Sex Trafficking, Sex Work, and Human Rights at the Super Bowl,” a report compiled by attorneys and researchers at Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW), Woodhull Freedom Foundation, and SOAR Institute, found that the perpetuation of the “Super Bowl sex trafficking myth” uses rhetoric that equates consensual adult sex work and human trafficking, which is known to be dangerous. By conflating these two very different phenomena, the discourse encourages the prohibition of prostitution at the expense of sex workers, survivors of human trafficking, and entire communities.

Evidence has conclusively found that the decriminalization of sex work, rather than prohibition, helps to reduce stigma and violence directed at sex workers, improves public health, and helps combat human trafficking.

The conflation of sex work and human trafficking often leads to victims of trafficking being prosecuted for crimes that they were forced to commit. Convictions for these crimes prevent survivors from accessing critical social resources when attempting to recover from being exploited. It also encourages law enforcement to target sex workers under the guise of preventing trafficking. Research shows that increased policing is a threat to the safety of sex workers.

Current prostitution and anti-trafficking laws make it difficult for victims and witnesses to report exploitation without risking prosecution. When innocent people are arrested and prosecuted, victims face barriers to services, and exploitation proliferates in the black market.

The myth that human trafficking spikes during the Super Bowl occupies an unwarranted amount of space in media discourse and policy responses around the event. This unfounded belief wastes the resources of law enforcement and encourages over-policing, which erodes trust between law enforcement and communities.

While the perpetuation of the Super Bowl sex trafficking myth is incredibly harmful, it continues to spread for four main reasons:

1. As a fundraising strategy for nonprofits wanting to abolish sex work under the guise of fighting trafficking.

2. As a method of virtue signaling by national and local governments taking a stand against human trafficking.

3. As a way to grab media and public attention for the issue of anti-trafficking.

4. As justification for social control measures such as increased policing and migration controls based on anti-prostitution ideology.

Human trafficking is a critical human rights concern that warrants effective and concerted policy responses. Rather than increasing the policing of prostitution around the Super Bowl, DSW, SOAR Institute, and Woodhull Freedom Foundation suggest the following alternative policy solutions:

1. Create evidence-based public education campaigns around human trafficking that reduce stigma and provide resources for those who are suffering exploitation.

2. Encourage states and municipalities to pass immunity bills to provide sex workers and trafficking survivors the right to report crimes committed against them without facing prosecution.

3. Develop study commissions made up of impacted community members, service providers, public health experts, and law enforcement to study the impact of current policies around human trafficking and sex work and make further recommendations.

4. Conduct mandated and standardized training for law enforcement in all jurisdictions on the critical differences between sex work and trafficking, as developed by the aforementioned study commissions.

5. Fully decriminalize consensual adult sex work, in order to reduce rates of STI transmission and violent crime and to increase law enforcement’s ability to detect and address trafficking.

6. Devote government funds previously used to arrest and incarcerate consensual adult sex workers to providing stigma-free social services and resources for those engaged in sex work and to fighting all kinds of human trafficking, including labor trafficking cases that often go undetected.

Illinois lawmakers are preparing to introduce a groundbreaking bill aimed at decriminalizing consensual adult sex work, marking a significant step toward protecting the rights and safety of sex workers. This proposed legislation comes amid growing recognition of the harms caused by the criminalization of sex work, which leaves individuals vulnerable to exploitation, violence, and legal penalties. By decriminalizing consensual adult sex work, the bill seeks to shift the focus from punishment to public health and safety.

The bill also proposes the creation of a “Bill of Rights” for sex workers. This would include provisions for workplace protections, the right to report violence or exploitation without fear of arrest, and access to essential health services. By offering these rights, the bill aims to reduce stigma and empower sex workers to seek help when needed without risking legal consequences.

Additionally, the bill includes language on expungement which would provide opportunities for individuals with past convictions related to consensual adult sex work to clear their criminal records. This would help remove barriers to employment, housing, and other vital services that can be restricted by a criminal history. Expunging these records acknowledges the unjust impact of past laws and seeks to offer a fresh start to those affected by them.

While the bill has not yet been introduced in the legislature, significant media attention to its introduction reflects broader trends in the United States and globally, where more jurisdictions are considering decriminalization as a means of protecting sex workers and addressing systemic issues within the criminal legal system. Sex worker rights groups in IL, particularly those led by marginalized sex workers, have worked for years to make the introduction of this bill possible.

Senator Julia Salazar has introduced Senate Bill S2513, or Cecilia’s Act for Rights in the Sex Trade (Cecilia’s Act), in New York. The bill would decriminalize consensual adult prostitution offenses and amend provisions relating to eliminating prior criminal convictions. In previous legislative sessions, this bill was named the Stop Violence in the Sex Trade Act (SVSTA). It was renamed to honor the legacy of the late Cecilia Gentili, a beloved advocate for sex workers and human rights.

Cecilia’s Act co-sponsors include Senators Jabari Brisport, Kristen Gonzalez, Cordell Cleare, Robert Jackson, Jessica Ramos, and Luis R. Sepúlveda.

The criminalization of sex work has jeopardized the lives of sex workers in New York for far too long. The criminalization of sex work is associated with increased risk of sexual and physical violence at the hands of clients, third parties, and domestic partners. Criminalization also encourages increased policing among vulnerable communities, resulting in arrests and police brutality. Studies conducted in New York have shown that prostitution-related arrests disproportionately affect Black, Asian, and Hispanic individuals.

Cecilia’s Act amends and repeals several existing statutes and penal codes so that consenting adults who trade sex, collaborate with, support, or patronize adult sex workers are not criminalized. In addition, the bill allows individuals to trade sex in spaces where legal business is permitted while upholding that maintaining exploitative workplaces where coercion and trafficking take place is a felony.

Presently, New York state law has more than two dozen anti-prostitution penal codes. About half of these codes target sex work between consenting adults, and the other half focus on trafficking, the exploitation of minors, and coercion into commercial sex. Cecilia’s Act upholds all felony anti-trafficking statutes that are designed to hold traffickers accountable.

Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) has been actively involved in DecrimNY, a coalition that has been working to protect the human rights of sex workers and survivors of trafficking for many years. The SVSTA was first introduced in 2019, and advocates of decriminalization are pushing for its passage once again. Activists, advocates, and allies will gather in New York’s capital city of Albany in March to lobby in support of the bill.

The decriminalization of sex work is crucial to the health and safety of sex workers and their communities. The passage of Cecilia’s Act would be an enormous step forward for sex workers’ rights, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, and human rights in general. In contrast, a competing bill, S2005, The Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act, which proposes Entrapment Model legislation, would endanger New York’s sex workers and survivors of trafficking. Read about the failures of the Entrapment Model (also known as the Nordic, Swedish, or Equality Model) here.

New York residents can send an email supporting Cecilia’s Act to their elected representatives here.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is currently deliberating a critical case that raises the question of whether all prostitution should be treated as human trafficking. The case involves five men who responded to online advertisements, believing they were arranging to meet consensual adult sex workers; however, the individuals they communicated with turned out to be undercover state troopers. While the men were initially charged with the misdemeanor of attempting to pay for sex, prosecutors also sought to indict them under the state’s human trafficking statute, felony charges that carry a minimum five-year prison sentence. The five men have been fighting the charges since 2021, arguing responding to an ad to meet an adult for consensual paid sex does not meet the criteria of the state’s anti-trafficking law.

The key issue before the court is whether such charges are appropriate under the state’s human trafficking laws when there is no evidence of force, fraud, coercion, or exploitation. Prosecutors argue that the application of trafficking laws is necessary to combat the demand for prostitution, while the defendants argue that this ideological approach unjustly and falsely equates all prostitution with trafficking, regardless of the circumstances.

This case is emblematic of the broader issues surrounding the criminalization of consensual adult sex work. Laws against prostitution often create a false equivalence between voluntary sex work and trafficking, erasing the complexity of people’s lived experiences in the sex industry. Evidence from around the world demonstrates that criminalizing consensual adult sex work allows for trafficking to proliferate as it forces sex workers into the shadows, making it harder for them to seek help or report abuses.

This case also highlights the principle and human right of autonomy, emphasizing that individuals should have the freedom to make choices about their bodies, including the consensual decision to engage in sex work. Under current laws, even when individuals engage in sex work consensually, they are treated as victims or perpetrators in need of legal intervention. As the Massachusetts SJC considers this case, the broader implications of its decision could set a precedent for how sex work and trafficking are handled in the future, not just in Massachusetts but across the U.S.

If the SJC rules that human trafficking charges are inappropriate in these circumstances, it would mark an important step in the fight to decriminalize consensual adult sex work. Ultimately, this case challenges the assumption that all sex work is exploitative, and could be a defining moment in the fight for the rights, safety, and dignity of sex workers. The Boston Globe reports that SJC cases are typically decided within 130 days of arguments.

January is nationally recognized as Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and January 11 marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This month serves as a critical time to educate ourselves and others about the realities of human trafficking and to support solutions that effectively combat this horrific abuse of power.

Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights that can occur in any labor sector, affecting people of all ages, genders, races, and nationalities. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defines human trafficking as “the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.” Yet, despite its complexity, trafficking is often misunderstood and sensationalized, with myths and misinformation clouding public understanding and harming survivors.

Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW), alongside other leading anti-trafficking and human rights organizations, fights to end human trafficking and exploitation through the decriminalization of consensual adult sex work. Decriminalization enables law enforcement to focus resources on genuine trafficking cases and provides avenues for survivors to seek help without fear of criminalization.

The Reality of Human Trafficking

Contrary to Hollywood’s portrayal of trafficking in popular movies like Taken and The Sound of Freedom, which depict dramatic rescues and shadowy kidnappings, the reality of human trafficking looks very different. Studies and experts in the field tell us that the majority of survivors are trafficked by people they know — family members, romantic partners, or employers. Vulnerabilities such as poverty, homelessness, LGBTQ+ identity, or immigration status frequently play a central role in creating conditions for exploitation.

Additionally, while public discourse and legislation often focus on sex trafficking, labor trafficking is far more pervasive. From agricultural fields to domestic work, trafficking occurs in sectors where labor protections are weak or non-existent. Addressing these systemic vulnerabilities is key to preventing all types of trafficking.

Why Decriminalization Matters

One of the most damaging misconceptions is the conflation of consensual adult sex work with human trafficking. This confusion often results in sex workers being treated as criminals, making it harder to identify and support actual trafficking survivors. Federal law distinguishes between sex work and trafficking, yet many local and state laws fail to do so. Decriminalizing consensual adult sex work allows survivors to access legal protections, health services, and justice without fear of arrest.

Debunking Common Myths About Human Trafficking

Misinformation and fear-mongering distort the realities of human trafficking. Here are some common myths and the truths behind them:

Myth #1: Human trafficking always involves physical force or kidnapping.

Reality: Trafficking often relies on psychological manipulation, fraud, or coercion rather than physical force. Many victims are exploited by people they know, such as family members or romantic partners​.

Myth #2: Most human trafficking victims are trafficked for sex.

Reality: Labor trafficking is more prevalent globally, accounting for approximately 74% of cases, compared to 17% for sex trafficking. Yet, public attention overwhelmingly focuses on sex trafficking​.

Myth #3: Trafficking only affects women and girls.

Reality: Human trafficking affects people of all genders, ages, and nationalities. Men, boys, and LGBTQ+ individuals are also trafficked, often in underreported industries like agriculture or construction​.

Myth #4: Arresting sex workers helps fight trafficking.

Reality: Arresting sex workers pushes consensual work underground, making it harder to identify trafficking victims. Decriminalization fosters trust between law enforcement and communities, ensuring resources are focused on exploitation rather than consensual activities​.

Myth #5: Human trafficking primarily happens at big events like the Super Bowl.

Reality: There is no evidence that trafficking rates spike during these times. Framing trafficking as tied to specific events obscures its everyday, pervasive nature. Additionally, increased police presence and sting operations during these events often result in the arrest and criminalization of consensual adult sex workers, rather than identifying and assisting trafficking victims.

Moving Forward

To effectively combat human trafficking, we must focus on addressing its root causes: poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to housing and healthcare. At DSW, we will continue to advocate for policies that protect human rights, dismantle harmful myths, and create pathways for survivors to heal and thrive.

This Human Trafficking Awareness Month, join us in challenging harmful narratives, supporting evidence-based solutions, and committing to a world free of exploitation.

To learn more about trafficking, how to combat it, and assist survivors, we encourage you to check out some of the leading anti-trafficking organizations in the country, Freedom Network USA and National Survivor Network.