In parts of New York City today, there has been a visible and widely-reported increase in prostitution. To some, this is seen as a crisis of community safety and quality of life; to others, it demonstrates economic opportunity for consenting adults in a job like any other. What rarely gets talked about is who the people actually are who we see walking the streets and what circumstances led them there.
The fact is that the majority of people in the sex trade – mostly young women, some barely out of their teens – were coerced, tricked, or trafficked, or forced by socio-economic circumstances as children and young adults into a life that they would never have chosen for themselves. Many remain trapped, even if they can escape their trafficker, because they don’t have other options. They were somebody’s child, and now they are being bought and sold like property on the streets of our city.
For years, I have listened to survivors who lived this reality. Their stories remind me that what some call a “choice” often begins with homelessness, abuse, or desperation. Melanie Thompson was only 12 when she was trafficked in New York City. She spent years being sold before she was finally separated from her exploiters. Yet, even in Melanie’s critical hour of need, the system arrested her instead of protecting her. Today, she fights for others still trapped in the sex trade, knowing that what they need most is not punishment but safety, housing, and a real way out.
Cristian Eduardo was also trafficked here in New York City. He has spoken publicly about the manipulation and control of traffickers and how many survivors are often too ashamed or traumatized to seek help. Cristian now works to ensure survivors receive the compassion and resources he was once denied.
Currently, New York’s laws do not align with what most of us know to be true: victims should receive support and not be treated as criminals. The majority of people in the sex trade were sold into prostitution by exploiters who controlled every aspect of their lives. Victims lose their freedom and are unable to say no, no matter how violent sex buyers become, while pimps and traffickers profit from their suffering. Those exploiters must be held accountable. My bill, the Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act (STSJEA), would finally align our laws with these fundamental truths.
Sex trafficking and prostitution go hand in hand. Demand from sex buyers can only be met through trafficking, and traffickers rely on sex buyers to stay in business. The STSJEA would help to decrease this demand and provide supportive services to survivors of the sex trade so they can rebuild their lives. It would end the wrongful arrests of people in prostitution and clear old convictions that prevent survivors from gaining housing and employment, while holding sex buyers, pimps, and sex traffickers accountable. Importantly, the bill would also increase access to therapeutic services, job skills training, housing, and health care for survivors – the tools they need to rebuild their lives.
This approach does not legalize exploitation. It confronts it.
Some argue that prostitution is empowering employment. But when I listen to survivors, I hear the opposite. I hear about children and young adults who were promised love and security and instead were raped every day and beaten if they resisted or tried to get help. I hear about men who buy sex treating the person they purchase as disposable property, not a human being. I hear about people in prostitution who want to escape but are trapped. I hear about survivors who want a way to live that protects their right to health, safety, and dignity. So, I refuse to minimize and normalize the sexual violence and exploitation that are essential features of the sex trade.
Make no mistake – “the life” is not glamorous or lucrative for those in prostitution, and the visible rise of the sex trade is deeply concerning. It is a clear signal that current policies are not adequately deterring sex buyers, traffickers, and other exploiters or providing the support that survivors desperately need.
It is high time for the New York Legislature to change that. We can choose to act with courage, to look beyond popular political slogans and do what is right. We can provide survivors with a genuine path to rebuild their lives without fear of violence and dehumanization. And we can ensure that those who buy and exploit people are finally held accountable for the harm they cause.
If we claim to value justice in New York, then we cannot look away.
Senator Liz Krueger represents New York’s 28th Senate District and is Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
