New York City is riddled with crime, homelessness, and illegal immigration, and now Albany lawmakers are considering adding illicit prostitution to the list of "allowable crimes".
Senator Liz Krueger (D-28) with Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter (D-128) sponsored the "Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act" (SVSTA) preventing sex workers from being prosecuted and would expunge any past convictions. Pimps and Johns could still be prosecuted.
Democrats are divided on the extent to which prostitution should be legalized, with some advocating for full legalization.
Sen. Julia Salazar (D WF-18), considered a radical Democratic Socialist, and Assemblywoman Souffrant Forrest (D-57) support a version of the bill that would make certain that no one in the chain of prostituting is criminalized – not the prostitute, the pimp, or the John.
They say, “consenting adults who trade sex, collaborate with or support peers, or patronize adult sex workers (should) not be criminalized.”
Krueger and Hunter’s bill “does not protect people, particularly the sex workers.” “Now you’re forcing people to go into hiding, into clandestine, and because you’re charging the john, it still does not remove the stigma,” said Salazar and Forrest.
Salazar and Forrest believe the prostitute is both an independent contractor entrepreneur and a victim of trafficking at the same time.
Both versions of the bill look to expand on former Gov. Cuomo’s actions that made “loitering for the purpose of prostitution” legal.
Law enforcement and other advocates working to protect women and girls from sex trafficking witness daily the impact of the passage of any version of this bill.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry, said on X, “The residents of East New York, Brooklyn have had to tolerate open-air prostitution, day and night, for far too long. They deserve better — and so do those forced into sex work by way of human trafficking. Together with our partners at the NY FBI, we are conducting what is essentially a rescue mission.”
Candice Grove, owner of CG Strategies said on X, “There’s silence from the far left & so-called ‘feminists’ who promote decriminalizing sex work. In Queens, we have migrant women & CHILDREN involved in the sex trade. I thought about what we should call this: This is SEX SLAVERY. This is their vision of NY.”
Both sides want their version of the Bill to pass by the end of the legislative session on June 6th, 2024.