December 17 Day 9: Centering Lived Experience

In every conversation about sex work - whether it’s policy, research, or “rescue” - one question should guide us: who is speaking, and who is missing? Too often, the people most directly impacted by laws, policing, and stigma are left out of the room. Decisions are made about sex workers, not with them. Policymakers draft legislation without consultation. Journalists tell our stories through a lens of pity or scandal. Anti-trafficking organizations design interventions that criminalize the very people they claim to protect.