Episode 16: Understanding Work

The topic of work can illicit strong stereotypes, incorrect assumptions, and ill-advised suggestions on how this issue should or should not be addressed by the criminal legal system and society in general. Regardless of what comes to mind, people who engage in work frequently face dehumanizing treatment simply based on what they do for a living – who they ARE is rarely part of the equation.

Our goal this season was to humanize many of the controversial and misunderstood topics related to sexual harm by speaking to the people directly impacted by them. In “Understanding Work” we speak to Sive Sanchez – a person that has engaged in work for many years in San Francisco. During our conversation, they demystify what work is, who does it, and why. Sive also shares some of the struggles they have faced and many of them stem from the fact that work is illegal.

There has been a significant shift to decriminalize work. A critical part of this conversation has to do with police interactions with workers. Research shows that in criminalized contexts, workers are often physically or sexually coerced by police through threat of detention, violence (including rape) or extortion. Due to discrimination and mistrust of police and the high risk of being arrested, workers are not likely to report crimes against them or cooperate with the police in investigations. Decriminalization would also eliminate the fear of arrest that frequently prevents workers from seeking justice and would better protect workers from violence at the hands of their clients (see list of resources below).

We learned a lot from our conversation with Sive and believe that their story is invaluable for you to hear. We hope this will encourage you to lean into difficult conversations and share what you have learned here. As always, we thank you for continuing to journey with us Beyond Fear.

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