Melissa Ditmore
consultant on research and rights-based programming
On the Issues
Many people are surprised to learn that some contemporary feminists work with Right-wing Christians on the issue of trafficking in persons – actions that sell out the rights of other women, particularly those who freely work in the sex trade.
guardian.co.uk
As the global economy shrinks, human trafficking is on the rise – and it extends far beyond prostitution.
RH Reality Check
The State Department’s new Trafficking in Persons report suggests that the Obama administration will opt for evidence-based responses to trafficking over putting restrictions on women “for their own good.”
RH Reality Check
Understanding the distinction between trafficking and sex work is crucial, because Congress is poised to re-authorize the federal law against human trafficking with new provisions that will both increase penalties for sex workers and effectively decrease our ability to aid genuine victims of trafficking.
RH Reality Check
Even those who mean well sometimes confuse the human rights abuse of trafficking in persons with the human occupation of prostitution, or sex work. It’s understandable because of the history of the two fields, but it creates rather than solves problems.