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Sex workers are scared to report violence for fear of criminalization for prostitution.
Between 45% and 75% of sex workers globally have experienced violence at work.
Until decriminalization of sex work occurs, the best way to protect sex workers from violence is to give them amnesty from criminalization when reporting violence.
Lauren Crosby Medlicott is a freelance journalist in the UK.
This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
Generally, violence against another person is a breach of human rights and grounds for prosecution. However, when it comes to sex work, violence is often overlooked or worse, it is ignored and used to charge the victim with prostitution. Globally, between 45% and 75% of sex workers have experienced violence at work, and the issue is particularly bad for trans and migrant women.