December 17 Day 3: Criminalization Creates Violence

For many people, laws are supposed to protect. For sex workers, laws often do the opposite. Criminalization - whether full, partial, or through the so-called “Nordic model” - creates conditions that make violence more likely, not less. When sex work is illegal, sex workers cannot safely report abuse without risking arrest. Clients and predators know this and exploit the vulnerability. Police raids, stings, and surveillance are framed as “protection,” but in practice, they destabilize lives, disrupt safety networks, and push people further underground. Criminalization doesn’t end sex work - it just makes it more dangerous.