Why We Must Oppose The Full Decriminalization Of Prostitution

It is an honor to address the Honorable Members of Congress and my colleagues here who are dedicated to ending human trafficking. I would also like to thank the National Center on Sexual Exploitation for inviting me to this important briefing. The title of this presentation, “Why We Must Oppose the Full Decriminalization of Prostitution,” first requires a basic overview of definitions and legal frameworks that govern prostitution, and its links between human trafficking, the sex trade, gender-based violence, and discrimination. The question often arises as to the relationship between sex trafficking and the sex trade, particularly prostitution. Human trafficking operates under market equations of supply and demand. Labor trafficking thrives on the demand for cheap goods and forced labor, and as it relates to sex trafficking, it is the demand for prostitution that fuels the multi-billion dollar sex trade. Under these market rules, the sex trade operates as vast economies of unflinching exploitation.