Prostitution &: Resilience
This series is called “Prostitution &.” The series highlights the complex and multifaceted phenomenon that is commercial sexual exploitation. Today, I close out the Prostitution & series with a discussion of opportunities for justice for survivors of exploitation and society at large. You may also want to read previous posts in the series, “Prostitution &: An introduction,” “Prostitution &: Public Health,” “Prostitution &: Poverty,” “Prostitution &: Segregation,” “Prostitution &: Barriers to services,” and “Prostitution &: Incarceration.”
In the case of commercial sexual exploitation, discussing disparities becomes problematic due to the paradox between agency and victimization (Fast & Richardson, 2019). Sexual exploitation occurs when there is an absence of choices. Conversely, the agency of survivors of sexual exploitation should not be diminished. The phenomenon always exists within context. To maximize agency, policy reform is critical in expanding victims' rights, increasing access to services, decriminalizing victimhood, and righting the wrongs of historically racist and sexist legislation. One such opportunity is the Nordic — or Equality – Model of addressing sexual exploitation.
The Nordic Model decriminalizes the selling of sex and criminalizes buying and pimping (e.g., trafficking). Advocates for the model believe that the law provides victims the opportunity to access services without fear of arrest, redistributes power toward the victim and risk toward the exploiter(s), and prevents governments from profiting off of the abuse of women and children. Recently, the state of New York passed this model into law (Cerullo, 2021). It will be interesting to witness if the policy can begin to address the historical disparities women, especially Women of Color, have faced for more than a century.
Fortunately, with the appropriate care and support tailored to meet their individual needs, survivors of exploitation can find employment that promotes dignity, be reunited with their children and/or families, serve as leaders in their communities, and live full, abundant lives (Ruhlmann, 2018; GEMS, 2019). Men and municipalities should no longer benefit from the exploitation of society's most vulnerable. Policy reform in nearly every area of society — welfare, healthcare, education, criminal justice, industry — is necessary for survivors of exploitation, their families, and future generations of women and children to thrive and prosper.
