National Organization for Women

by and

Policy Fact Sheet: Full Decriminalization of Consensual Sex Work

Fact Sheet Compiled by Debbie Deland

Full decriminalization removes criminal penalties for selling or buying consensual adult sexual services. It does not legalize trafficking, coercion, violence, exploitation, or underage involvement — those remain crimes. Sex work predators are criminals. Decriminalization means:

  • Adults can work without fear of arrest
  • Workers can report violence without risking prosecution
  • Police can focus on actual exploitation, not consensual activity
  • Public health agencies can reach people without criminal barriers
  • Provides for health services and community support
  • Treating consensual sex work as labor, focusing on protecting workers and prosecuting exploitation
  • Reduces stigmatization of consensual sex and sex worker.

Whether partial or full criminalization model, there is heightened risk around housing, children, detention, deportation, and banking. Those models are based on the assumption that all sex work involves victimhood. It criminalizes adult sexual freedom. They result in more policing.

Full decriminalization of Consensual Sex work is the model (not the Nordic model) supported by sex‑worker‑led organizations, major human rights groups, and global public health experts, including SWOP USA and its Chapters, Red Canary Song, Black Sex Worker Collective, Desiree Alliance, US PROS Collective, BIPOC-Swop Chapters, NSWP, Red Umbrella Fund, APNSW, ASWA, ICRS/ESWA, Scarlet Alliance, RedTraSex. Butterfly, Dream Defenders, FL Prisoner Solidarity, Equality FL, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, World Health Organization, UNAIDS, The Lancet, APHA, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, etc.

Young feminists and feminists of color show high support for the full decriminalization model (Data for Progress National Polling, Economist Polling). Published positions: Black Feminist Future, SisterSong, National Black Women’s Justice Institute, Mijente, Black Youth Project 100. Younger feminists are more aligned with intersectional, anti‑carceral, and bodily autonomy frameworks [Weitzer, Ronald. Sociology of Sex Work (Annual Review of Sociology, 2018). Wagenaar & Altink. Prostitution Policy in Europe(2012–2020)]. Applying certain moral compasses to fighting against the decriminalization of sex worker clients denies sex workers choice and bodily autonomy. Criminalizing clients has many negative consequences for the sex worker.

All exploitative labor is ILLEGAL under Full Decriminalization. And it’s called human trafficking when it’s illegal. Under Full Decriminalization less than 4 sex workers can work together in the same location without a brothel license. All sex workers can hire bookers, receptionists, drivers, and security with no penalties unless they don’t pay them. A “brothel” can operate as a licensed business (it turns into a legalized (regulated/taxed model) and has to pay for a license, inspections, health codes, safety codes, etc.). Most brothels in New Zealand are independent owners and sex worker co-ops. If you have an illegal brothel, a lapsed license, or an underage victim, it will be shut down and prosecuted.

Why Decriminalization Matters

1. It dramatically increases safety (New Zealand Government, Lancet Medical Journal, WHO. Human Rights Watch, etc.)

  • Criminalization of clients forces workers into isolated areas and rushed negotiations.
  • Decriminalization allows workers to screen clients, work together, and call police when needed.
  • o In New Zealand (decriminalized since 2003): 70% of sex workers report improved safety, No increase in trafficking,workers report greater ability to refuse clients

2. It improves public health

  • Criminalization increases HIV risk by disrupting condom negotiation & access to services.
  • Decriminalization is associated with lower HIV transmission, better testing, and stronger outreach. Per The Lancet, Decriminalization could reduce HIV infections among sex workers by 33-46% globally.

3. It reduces violence

  • Sex workers in criminalized systems experience 7–10× higher rates of violence than the general population. Decriminalization removes the fear of arrest that keeps victims from reporting assault.

4. It strengthens anti‑trafficking efforts

  • When workers aren’t criminalized, they can report coercion and exploitation without risking arrest. This improves identification of real trafficking cases.

5. It advances gender, racial, and economic justice

  • Criminalization disproportionately harms: Black women, Trans women, Migrant women, Low‑income women, LGBTQ+. Decriminalization reduces policing harm and supports bodily autonomy.

Key Statistics

  • 90%+ of sex‑worker‑led organizations worldwide support full decriminalization.
  • 7–10× higher violence rates under criminalization.
  • No increase in trafficking in countries that have decriminalized.
  • 70% of workers in New Zealand report improved safety post‑decriminalization.
  • Criminalization increases risk of: Police violence, Housing instability, HIV transmission, Barriers to reporting assault

What Decriminalization Is Not

  • It is not legalization (which adds heavy regulations that can still criminalize marginalized workers).
  • It is not the Nordic Model, which criminalizes clients and pushes sex work underground.
  • It is not deregulation — trafficking, coercion, violence, underage involvement, and exploitation remain fully illegal.

Stories

“I can refuse clients now — before, I couldn’t.” (New Zealand)

“I called the police for the first time in my life.” (New Zealand)

“We work together now — that keeps us safe.” (Abel, Fitzgerald, Brunton)

“Managers can’t threaten us anymore.” (NZ Government Review, Amnesty International)

“I can carry condoms without fear.” (Human Rights Watch, WHO)

“I feel safer working indoors.” (NSW Australia Government Review)

“I left an unsafe situation — and I could, because I wasn’t criminalized.” (NZ Prostitution Law Review)

What These Stories Have in Common: More control over their working conditions, Greater ability to refuse unsafe clients, improved relationships with police, less violence, better health access, more power to leave exploitative workplaces, safer indoor working environments, and stronger peer networks. Women are perfectly capable of deciding whether consensual sex work will be their work

Other Full Decriminalization of Consensual Adult Sex Work References

by

FL NOW Condemms Forced C-Sections in Florida Hospitals and Demands Immediate Oversight

Reports of nonconsensual surgeries on pregnant women — including Black women in active labor — expose a dangerous crisis in patient rights

For immediate release April 17 by president@flnow.org

Orlando, FL — April 2026 — The Florida National Organization for Women (FL NOW) is calling for urgent state and federal intervention following alarming reports that Florida hospitals have subjected pregnant women — including Black women — to nonconsensual Cesarean sections, in some cases using the courts to override a patient’s refusal while she was in active labor.

“These reports are horrifying,” said Julie Kent, President of FL NOW. “A pregnant woman in Florida was handed a tablet for a virtual court hearing during labor so the hospital could force a C- section she did not consent to. This is a violation of bodily autonomy, medical ethics, and basic human rights.”

Advocates warn that these cases are not isolated. They reflect a broader pattern of:

• Coercive medical practices

• Disproportionate harm to Black women

• Escalating fear among pregnant patients

• Hospitals invoking the courts to override patient decisions

These abuses are unfolding in the context of Florida’s increasingly restrictive reproductive health environment, where providers face legal uncertainty, and patients face shrinking access to care.

“Pregnant people in Florida are being treated as if they lose their civil rights the moment they enter a delivery room,” Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW said. “No one should be forced into major surgery against their will — especially not under threat of legal action. This is a severe violation of a woman’s civil rights. This will not be tolerated!”

FL NOW emphasizes that C-sections carry significant medical risks, including infection, hemorrhage, trauma, and long-term reproductive complications. When performed without consent, they also inflict profound psychological harm.

“This is state sanctioned violence against women,” Deland said. “And it is happening in a system already failing Black mothers at every turn. We have a past riddled with forced procedures, including the sterilization of women without their consent.”FL NOW is calling for immediate action, including:

• A statewide investigation into all cases of coerced or court ordered C-sections

• Clear legal protections affirming that pregnant people retain full bodily autonomy

• Oversight of hospital practices, including use of emergency court orders

• Mandatory reporting and transparency when patient consent is overridden

• Investment in Black maternal health and culturally competent care

• Accountability for institutions that violate patient rights

“Florida cannot claim to value life while stripping pregnant people of their autonomy and subjecting them to forced medical procedures,” Deland said. “We demand accountability, transparency, and immediate reform.”

FL NOW urges lawmakers, medical boards, and civil rights organizations to join in demanding an end to coercive obstetric practices and the protection of every Floridian’s right to safe, consensual medical care.

FL NOW remains steadfast in its commitment to reproductive justice, racial equity, and the fundamental right of every person to control their own body.

Media Contact: Debbie Deland, 407 234-6408, vp@flnow.org

by and

Art is forever changing – Adding Dolores Huerta and removing Cesar Chavez

Dolores Huerta is a historic civil rights leader.

Huerta is best known for co-founding the National Farm Workers Association. Dolores fought for workers rights and for fair wages, and her fight didn’t stop at farm workers. Huerta became a strong feminist figure as she fought for women’s rights alongside the fight for worker’s rights. She had an unwavering hope and strength that it would get better as the fight continued.

[Read more…]