Speak for Yourself, Don't Speak for Me: Democratizing Discourse and Sex Work Reform

• In Event: Lightning Talk: Policies for Protection and the Legal Safekeeping of Women

Abstract

This analysis of the various legal models addressing sex work aims to contextualize and reframe the discussion of regulating prostitution from an essential but overlooked perspective: that of sex workers. This framework for policy analysis employs findings from participatory action research based in the UK, Elizabeth Bernstein’s research on Carceral feminism, essays by sex workers, and data extrapolated from New Zealand’s Prostitution Law Review Committee regarding the Prostitution Reform Act 2003. Suggestions from the law review committee and interviews with sex workers were incorporated into the findings to measure the satisfaction of communities directly impacted by legislation and recommendations for policy reform going forward. Additionally, identifying the risks and benefits inherent to various legislative models concerning sex work served as a basis for assessing the practicality and implementation of legislation. Participatory action research and New Zealand’s PRA law review committee findings suggest that decriminalization with labor regulations is the model most desired by sex workers. These findings suggest that policy reform directed by affected communities produced the most satisfactory results.

Author

• Hosana Seyoum, John Jay College of Criminal Justice