December 17: Day 2 Why We Need December 17

Violence against sex workers doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. It is created and sustained by the systems around us - criminalization, stigma, and neglect.

When sex work is criminalized, it forces workers into the shadows, often without legal protections or safe ways to report violence. Fear of arrest, deportation, or child removal keeps many silent, even when they are victims of assault or exploitation. Stigma adds another layer, painting sex workers as disposable, immoral, or somehow deserving of harm. Too often, when sex workers are murdered, assaulted, or disappeared, the news cycle dismisses them as cautionary tales instead of people whose lives were valuable. This systemic erasure normalizes violence and makes justice an exception, not the rule.