Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation Globally: Bekah Charleston and Taina Bien-Aimé

“(Sex work) is a term that was specifically designed to hide the harms of prostitution. It mainstreams prostitution as something that is acceptable, something that is marketable, such as Pretty Woman, that makes us believe that this is glamorous. It’s painful for me to hear because it dehumanises women, specifically by not fully looking at the pervasive psychological, medical, physical harm that sex buyers and pimps and traffickers, and the system of prostitution itself imparts on human beings.” - Taina Bien-AiméTaina Bien-Aimé has almost three decades of experience defending the rights of women and girls at the national and global level. As the Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), she travels the world advocating before national governments and the United Nations, urging them to invest in equality for women and girls. Bekah Charleston, after enduring a decade of abuse and exploitation, built a career dedicated to the empowerment of Survivors and focused on community collaboration at all levels. In 2013, she launched Bekah Speaks Out to provide customized training and consultancy services to law enforcement, service providers, and community leaders alike. Since then, she has gained a bachelors and masters degree in criminal justice and criminology, filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Nevada over the legalized prostitution industry, and worked with senators to advocate for the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act which provides victims the opportunity to vacate or expunge federal convictions resulting from their victimization.The two women give an overview of the phenomenon of trafficking for sexual exploitation and explain why it is impossible to separate from prostitution, including the financial side and trafficking as the ‘supply’ for the sex trade. They also speak about the reality - and the horrors - of what it really means to legalise prostitution and what life is like in Nevada, where prostitution is legalised.@BekahSpeaksOutCoalition Against Trafficking in Women