Read on Twitter
I'm a survivor of human trafficking, & I support full decriminalization of the sex trades. I think prostitution stings are state violence, that "human trafficking" stings that just target consensual workers are nothing more than dishonest marketing, 1/25
& that conflation of consensual sex work & HT perpetuates rape culture through intentional & manipulative denial of consent, bodily autonomy, & self-determination. You can't end sexual violence w/o prioritizing consent, bodily autonomy, & self-determination for ALL people. 2/25
If you are concerned about people engaging in the sex trades because they lack other options, the most powerful work you can do is to build other options. Work for a transformed culture, government, & economic systems that allow people to get their basic needs met. 3/25
Criminalization - of sex workers or of clients - does not build economic stability that reduces vulnerability. It increases instability, both through removing income from marginalized folks & through creating criminal records that impede housing/employment. 4/25
I do not support sex worker rights because I don't value trafficking survivors; I support sex worker rights because I value bodily autonomy & self-determination, which I believe (as a professional & an HT survivor) benefits HT survivors as well. 5/25
Trafficking takes away people's bodily autonomy & self-determination. Prioritizing bodily autonomy & self-determination prevents human trafficking. 6/25
I do not support sex worker safety because I don't value trafficking survivors; I support sex worker safety because I believe (as a professional & HT survivor) it is one of the most powerful strategies we have to reduce human trafficking within the sex trades. 7/25
If you want to end HT in agriculture, we work to build safe agriculture labor practices & make it easier & safer for people to report harm. If we want to end HT in hotels, we work to build safe labor practices for housekeepers/etc in hotels. Sex trades are no different. 8/25
Just because an economy is criminalized doesn't mean trafficking within it wouldn't be reduced by increased safety practices & labor protections. Exploitation is reduced NOT by driving practices into secrecy or shame but by building in safety. Criminalization is not safety. 9/25
Criminalization is not safety, esp not for people w other marginalized identities. In IPV work, we don't prevent or end IPV by trying to keep people from getting into relationships. We teach them about healthy & unhealthy relationships, about safe & less safe relationships 10/25
In other forms of labor, we don't try to end exploitation by destroying the industry altogether. We work to create & normalize safe, fair business practices & worker protections. 11/25
It makes NO SENSE whatsoever that the sex trades would be any different, regardless of whether or not the specific form of erotic labor is criminalized. 12/25
And stigma? Stigma keeps people from reaching out, from seeking help, from thinking they deserve better. When you perpetuate stigma & shame, you create a culture that helps traffickers keep people trapped, scared to leave them. 13/25
And we can - & MUST - make sure our efforts & messaging & legislation to try to end trafficking do not create less-safe practices & labor protections in any of the industries we see trafficking happen in, & that our efforts don't perpetuate stigma & shame against workers. 14/25
Sex worker safety is an essential part of the anti-trafficking narrative. It's not "a different conversation for a different day." It's an essential piece of ending trafficking in any industry or field. 15/25
Those of us who want to end HT & who want sex workers to be safe? We are on the same team. The people who tell us we aren't have too much to lose if we realize we're together. They won't advocate for SWs to be safer bc their goal isn't safety; it's bringing down the sex trades 16
I was happy to see PH ban downloads, only allow content from verified users, and implement other safety measures to reduce nonconsensual content. And guess what? Sex workers have been asking for many of those same protections for years! 17/25
On Twitter, I saw SWs saying "Hey, I'm cautiously optimistic!" In my inbox, the former Morality in Media proclaimed "PH is going DOWN!" One wants safety and autonomy, the other wants to end porn. One is about an anti-violence agenda; the other is about morality. 18/25
& I have NEVER had an anti-HT agency reach out to me for help with a consensual SW they were helping. But I REGULARLY have someone from @swopusa, @swopbehindbars, @WeAreDancersUSA, or other SW safety orgs ask me for help with trafficking survivors they're helping. 19/25
My DMs here & on FB, my texts, my emails --they bear witness to the ways survivors, current & past sex workers, & grassroots activists always take care of whomever needs care, without judgment, when other systems have failed vulnerable people. 20/25
They pick up the pieces (and on a shoestring budget or volunteer basis, usually with grassroots organizing) that well-funded morality-based anti-porn and anti-SW "trafficking" nonprofits leave in their wake. If I ever sound cynical, this is why. 21/25
Not only do SWs experience 
rates of violence that aren't addressed w compassion & respect by our culture/systems, each year many die from violence or some from horrific marginalization that is heaped upon them both from their status as sex workers & intersecting identities. 22
rates of violence that aren't addressed w compassion & respect by our culture/systems, each year many die from violence or some from horrific marginalization that is heaped upon them both from their status as sex workers & intersecting identities. 22
I'm lucky I didn't end up dead in a gutter somewhere between ages 17 & 22, & I'm grateful I'm here now. I didn't deserve harm, violence, abuse, or death then; NOBODY does.
#December17 is the Int'l Day to End Violence Against SWs. #D17 #IDTEVASW #IDEVASW 23/ 25
#December17 is the Int'l Day to End Violence Against SWs. #D17 #IDTEVASW #IDEVASW 23/ 25
If you're an anti-HT advocate, I'd like to challenge you as an HT survivor myself to learn more about why some survivors & anti-HT researchers believe full decriminalization helps to prevent violence in the sex trades, to include HT. You don't have to agree, but please listen. 24
And if you or someone you know is/are a sex worker who needs resources, referral, or supports, call the SWOP USA Community Support Line at 877-776-2004. I know several of the people who run and staff it personally; they are good people. 25/25
More on how my experiences led me to a social/cultural lens on trafficking prevention: https://twitter.com/christycroft/status/1212435411374661632?s=20
And a nice thing to do right now if you have a little extra money to love on trans kiddos: https://twitter.com/christycroft/status/1338321200318193664
