Receipts Please! Myths Don't Stand A Chance! Myth #8: Criminalization Protects Vulnerable People

This myth frames laws against sex work as protective shields for vulnerable populations. It suggests that arrests, raids, and crackdowns are acts of compassion—that by criminalizing sex work, the state is keeping people safe from exploitation. On the surface, this framing feels persuasive because it appeals to both morality and fear: who wouldn’t want to “protect” women, children, and marginalized people from harm? But in practice, the exact opposite is true. Criminalization is wielded most harshly against the very communities it claims to safeguard, leaving sex workers, survivors, and children more vulnerable, not less. Instead of functioning as a shield, these laws become weapons that drive people deeper into poverty, instability, and danger.