Stop enforcement of laws that criminalize sex trade between consenting adults Re imagining Public Safety Task Force.
Recommendation Summary: Institute a policy of non-enforcement of laws that criminalize sex trade between consenting adults1. Use the allocated monies diverted from enforcement of these laws to fund workshops and interviews with those with lived experience and currently in sex trades to develop their recommendations for how Oakland can provide infrastructure to foster a community that prioiritizes the health and safety of sex workers.
Background and Statement of Need: Decriminalizing sex work would remove one of the tools used to oppress sex worker communities, and adjacent communities impacted by the criminalization of sex work.2 Those who have been disproportionately targeted and impacted include women, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), migrants, LGBTQIA+ persons, and young people, among others.
Data from more than 130 studies in 33 countries – from Britain to Uganda – published in scientific journals between 1990 to 2018 found that sex workers who had been exposed to repressive policing like arrest or incarceration were three times more likely to experience sexual or physical violence by clients, partners and other people. Globally, there are multiple locales that have decriminalized sex work, and the work force is regulated though labor codes and other protections.3 There are literature and studies that show that communities feel an increase in their healthy and safety rights. New York City has introduced a bill to decriminalize sex trades between consenting adults. The World Health Organization, Amnesty International, Democratic Socialists of America, Human Rights Campaign, The Libertarian Party, and the ACLU all support decriminalization of sex work.
Estimated Timeframe:
Should be implemented immediately.
Estimated Cost: This recommendation would reduce police expenditure on enforcement of sex “crimes”. Funding community workshops and interviews with those with lived experience and currently in sex trades would cost approximately $6000 as estimated by some concerned community members.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2mkTgwKPTebMCBRtJlP3MGKextxoY5c/view?usp=sharing
