Safety+For+Prostitutes



Prostitutes are a group of people who are commonly looked over because of the way in which they make a living. This does not make them any less deserving of receiving protection from law enforcement when they fall under attack. In a better world, the reports of abuse and rape made by prostitutes would not be ignored and dismissed by law enforcement officials. Assailants would be brought to justice so they could never harm any woman, man or child ever again, and prostitutes would know that they can report what they have been victim to with the confidence that the issue will be addressed.

Because of the lifestyle that prostitutes fall under, they are looked over by the majority of society, and by the majority of law enforcement officials. The myth prevails, even among prostitutes, that they cannot be raped. If they are attacked, it is believed that they provoked the attack or otherwise deserved it. Like the homeless, the impoverished, and the other people of low society, their plights are ignored. They know that they are going to be ignored, and so why should they even bother reporting attacks? Because of these combined mentalities, those who assault prostitutes know they will not be punished for their behavior and that they can continue it, ever escalating, sometimes even resulting in deaths. And when they know that they can get away with hurting a prostitutes, why not hurt a wife, a girl friend, or a stranger?

Prostitutes need to be protected. They need to know that they need not fear rape, assault, and murder even if they are pigeon-holed into such a horrible prison that is the sex industry. Law enforcement must be more fervent in their responses to the reports made by prostitutes and more vigilant in their protection. Those who assault prostitutes, especially repeat offenders, must be more feverishly pursued before they harm any one else and so that their victims may finally make good their right to face their assailant. The safety of prostitutes simply must be taken more seriously. They need to know that they will be heard and that they can have a safe place to go if they fear retribution from their assailants or pimps, such as a woman's shelter or a non-profit sanctuary geared towards prostitutes and their needs. If more prostitutes have their assailants pursued by the law, more will report what they have experienced, and more abusers and killers of women will be captured and put behind bars like the animals that they are. These women are sisters, daughters, friends, and mothers. They deserve a chance at justice and sanctuary.

**2010 -- H BILL # ** ======= LC01752 ß  ignore this because it will be taken care of by the House Clerk

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**S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D **


 * IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY **


 * JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2010 **

A N A C T RELATING TO SAFETY FOR PROSTITUTED PERSONS

__Introduced By __: List the Representatives who will submit the Bill for you __Date Introduced __: __Referred To __: Leave Blank – the House Clerk will enter the information  It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1: Law enforcement officers shall be required to respond to any report of any of the above listed forms of victimization inflicted upon a worker in the sex industry immediately following a report made during or within twenty four hours of the crime and, within seven days of a report made over twenty four hours after the supposed crime occurred unless an immediate risk is expected to be posed against the supposed victim by the supposed perpetrator of a crime or any one else connected to the crime in question, in which case response must be immediate. SECTION 2: Any report of the victimization of a member of the sex industry must be brought to a prompt and speedy trial. SECTION 3: Any law enforcement person who was found to have hindered response to such an above defined report shall be subject to paying a fine of $150 to the supposed victim in question. For each repeat offense the fine shall double in amount. After five such incidents, the law enforcer in question shall be subject to a two week suspension, which shall be enforced for each offence after until three additional offenses have occurred, in which case they shall be expelled from their position in law enforcement and shall not be permitted future employment in any law enforcement and/or government position. SECTION 4: This bill shall go into effect 60 days after its passing. ||
 * Title of Bill: Protection for Prostitutes **
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 * 34 ** || Whereas those persons, citizens, non-citizens, and undocumented, who participate in the sex industry, this being defined as any transaction trading sexual arousal and/or gratification for monetary compensation or another providing of money, items, and/or services such as medical care and/or services, room and board, the pay of rent, and/or commercial services, are constant victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, battery, physical assault, assault with a weapon, gang rape, human trafficking, burglary, robbery, sodomy, domestic violence, homicide, man slaughter, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, abduction, and/or physical crimes, physical crimes being defined as a crime that is physically tangible and experienced physically, other than, or including depending on the age of the victimized subject when they were victimized, sexual and/or physical crimes against minors, and yet reports involving victimized prostitutes or other such sex workers go unsolved, dismissed, and ignored by law enforcement officials more often than not.

=__ Lina Clark __ = PERSONS FOR THE PROTECTION AND REHABILITATION OF SEX WORKERS **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">555-555-5555 ** <span style="color: black; display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; text-align: right;">joeschmoe@email.com 1234 joe schmoe road Town, STATE ZIP

May 25, 2010 Representative Carter State Representative Room 323 State House 82 Smith Street Providence, RI 02903

Dear Representative Carter,

America is a land that prides itself in its ideals of complete safety and asylum for those who live within it. People come here from other countries because of this, because they know that in America their safety will be provided for. They don’t have to worry because the laws of the land protect them. So should that safety not also be provided to those already in this country?

There are people in America who experience heinous crimes constantly throughout their lives: sexual assault, rape, battery, assault with a weapon, even murder. And these people are not protected. Their reports go ignored to the point that they don’t even bother reporting what has happened to them because they know that it is a fruitless effort, and that they could be attacked by those who commandeer over them simply for trying to report the abuse they experience. Law enforcement officials for the most part ignore their cries for help and very rarely do they see a court room when they are victimized.

These people are prostitutes, sex workers. They are looked down upon by society if not ignored completely. Because of the stigma attached to them and because of what they do to make their living, their needs are ignored by most people. Very few people have experienced or can have empathy for what they have experienced and so do not provide them with the care they need, and tragically, this ideology does exist in those law enforcement persons who are supposed to protect and serve.

I believe that more direct action must be taken in regards to the plight of these persons for the sake of American morals and values. By helping prostitutes, we show that no one is beneath receiving the assistance they need. By seeing them as people and not as whores or hookers, we aknowledge that they can rise above their situation and provide them with the support to develop their own self-esteem and free themselves from the binds tying them to their lifestyle. By freeing them from this lifestyle, we allow them to become contributing members of society with respectable jobs, helping both themselves and others. And by destroying the stigma against sex workers, seeing them as people, those individuals who victimize prostitutes and see such actions as a way to excuse their violence against women will no longer be able to see their actions against all women, not just prostitutes, as acceptable, making great steps in terms of finally reaching a state of true gender equality and an end to violence against women in the United States.

I understand that sympathizing with prostitutes may be something that most find hard to comprehend, but you must at least see that they are human beings. They are people with pasts, lives, and families, and they deserve a chance better lives, lives in which they are not subject to abuse that no one moves to save them from. By simply changing the police attitudes towards the reports made by sex workers and increasing determined response to them and vigorous persecution of those who injure and assault, lives can be changed not only for those women (and men) working the streets and buildings, but for all the women and citizens living in their communities.

Sincerely,

Lina Clark

Persons for the Protection and Rehabilitation of Sex Workers


 * Direct Action Plan **

The direct action plan for my cause will be a demonstration on the sidewalk, walkway, and steps outside of the state house in Providence. On a Monday at five, when most people get out of work and are on their way home, as many present and former sex workers as will consent to taking part in the demonstration as well as those supporting the cause will lay down as though dead upon the sidewalk, the walkway leading to the state house, and the steps of the state house. Sheet-covered mannequins or fellow participants will act as stand-ins for those who are dead as a result of the prostitution lifestyle. The purpose of these “victims” is to show that an early and horrendous death is nearly inevitable for a prostitute and that they are very liable to being victims of murder. Beside each person will be a sign declaring the amount of cases of assault, battery, rape, etc. that person has experienced, including photographic evidence of those injuries sustained if available. Anyone entering or leaving the state house or passing by will have to step over all persons involved to get where they are going and so will be unable to ignore the demonstration.

Those persons who will speak to the media will include those doctors and nurses who have treated prostitutes for injuries received as a result of their lifestyle, those prostitutes who are fluent and eloquent enough to tell their stories, 911 operators who have received distress calls concerning victimized prostitutes, families of the sex workers in question, and those police officers who have responded to especially heinous reports involving victimized prostitutes, included cases of murder.

Any civilians who harass demonstrators in any way, such as stepping on or jeering them, will be reported in the media, providing sympathy for the prostitutes involved. All demonstrators involved will be instructed not to move or retaliate even if harassed so they cannot be portrayed as rash or violent in media reports. Any severe harassment, such as kicking or stomping, will be stopped by participants assigned to protection duty. Any cases of such severe harassment will be photographed and/or recorded by participants and posted on the web on social networks such as Facebook or Twitter and will be sent to the media to be shown to gain further sympathy for those involved in the cause and increase disfavor and spite towards those who harass them.

Those government officials who work in the state house will not be able to ignore the demonstration, they will have to address it in some way. As the demonstration will be peaceful and civil, they will not be able to speak poorly of it without having disfavor cast upon them. Hopefully this will bring about action taken within the state government for the sake of sex workers, and at the very least the state will be unable to avoid a meeting discussing the matter.

The event will end once the media has dispersed with those persons who are not playing “victims” putting the “victims” into “body bags” and taking them away to wherever they wish to go after the demonstration is completed.

The entire goal of this demonstration is to get a great deal of media coverage concerning the cause and to gain sympathy for those involved; the sex workers. If the people support the cause of protecting prostitutes, they will lobby the state officials to do something about the issue.

** MEDIA ADVISORY --- ** May 21, 2010

Lina Clark, (555) 555-1234 Persons For the Protection and Rehabilitation of Sex Workers ** PERSONS FOR THE PROTECTION AND REHABILITATION OF SEX WORKERS **Organizes a lay-down outside of the state house for the sake of stopping violence against prostitutes PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND— More than seventy Rhode Island residents are expected to turn out on June 19 to protest lax action in the cases of crimes against prostitutes, according to Lina Clark. Persons For the Protection and Rehabilitation of Sex Workers has planned a lay-down demonstration in order to gain sympathy for the plight of sex workers from the public and government officials in the hopes of receiving more vigorous action from the police and state in terms of protecting prostituted persons and pursuing those who assault them. Present and former sex workers as well as sympathizers and PFPRSW members will lay down on the sidewalk, walkway, and steps in front of the state house, displaying signs recording the number and types of assaults received by each prostituted person, and standing volunteers will speak with the press and questioning civilians. Prostitutes are the victims of rape, battery, assault, and murder, and yet very little is done by law enforcement to help them because of the stigma attached to their lifestyle. Nobody wants to be a sex worker, and these women and men are suffering. They do not deserve to be violated and beaten on a regular basis, nobody does. Persons For the Protection and Rehabilitation of Sex Workers: Helping sex workers so they can help themselves to have a better life free from the sex industry.
 * CONTACT:**
 * WHO:** Present and former sex workers, sympathizers towards the cause, PFPRSW members, speakers including those doctors and nurses who have treated prostitutes for injuries received as a result of their lifestyle, those prostitutes who are fluent and eloquent enough to tell their stories, 911 operators who have received distress calls concerning victimized prostitutes, families of the sex workers in question, and those police officers who have responded to especially heinous reports involving victimized prostitutes, included cases of murder.
 * WHAT:** Lay-down demonstration
 * WHERE:** 82 Smith St, Providence, RI 02903
 * WHEN:** June 19, 5PM-point of media and civilian dispersal


 * Press Release**

For Immediate ReleaseContact: Lina Clark June 8, 2010Cell: 401-123-4567

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 25pt;">Protection for Prostitutes
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Persons For the Protection and Rehabilitation of Sex Workers organize a lay-down demonstration in front of the state house in an effort to encourage more fervent protection of sex worker victims by police. **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Providence, RI – In front of the State House in Providence on June 19 at 5PM, present and former sex workers, sympathizers towards the cause, and PFPRSW members will lay down on the steps of and walkway and sidewalk in front of the state house. Prostituted persons are a group looked over in American society more so than many others, even by the police who are supposed to protect and serve all persons, even those living at the bottom rung of society. The goal of this demonstration is to raise public awareness of the issue as well as to make the public understand why protection for prostitutes is such an important issue.

“No one really cares much about prostitutes,” says Jane Smith, one of the organizers of this demonstration and vice-president of PFPRSW. “That’s what we are trying to change. We want to make people care, to see that these women and men are people just like them, people who are trapped in a world so terrible that very few of us could imagine the horrors of it.”

Many prostitutes end up dead because of the lifestyle they live. To show this, a covered mannequin will be used to symbolize a sex worker who died as a result of their lifestyle, each mannequin being displayed along with a sign with a picture of the individual symbolized, their birth and death dates, quotes from family and friends, and their cause of death on it. Beside each former or present sex worker will be a sign with a record of the amount of times they were assaulted and the manner of the assaults in question on it, as well as any photographs of injuries sustained if they are available. Others participating in the lay-down may display such signs for prostituted persons who are not present.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Speakers at the demonstration will include those doctors and nurses who have treated prostitutes for injuries received as a result of their lifestyle, those prostitutes who are fluent and eloquent enough to tell their stories, 911 operators who have received distress calls concerning victimized prostitutes, families of the sex workers in question, and those police officers who have responded to especially heinous reports involving victimized prostitutes, included cases of murder.

Persons For the Protection and Rehabilitation of Sex Workers is an organization dedicated to the protection of prostituted persons in terms of physical safety and peace of mind as well as providing them with the factors missing from their lives that will allow them to free themselves from the prostitution lifestyle so they may live a less distressing, dangerous, and destructive life.


 * Public Service Announcement **

Imagine for a moment that you have no options. Maybe you were never able to finish high school. Maybe you’re homeless. Maybe you came from another country and no one wishes to hire you here. You can’t find a job, and you can’t pay rent.

Imagine that you have no one to help you. Imagine that your family refuses to help you, or they are just as impoverished as you are, or maybe you don’t have any family. Imagine that you have no friends who can help you, either. You are all on your own.

Now imagine that you are not alone. You have two very young children and no one to help take care of them. The state wants to take them from you because you simply cannot provide for them, no matter how hard you try to and no matter how much you love them.

Now imagine that your only way to make money is to sell your body. You have to work on the streets and do whatever anyone who pays you says. Imagine how horrible you would feel. Imagine how you would never be able to look at yourself in the mirror and not be disgusted by what you see.

Now imagine being attacked. Beaten, raped, strangled, nearly killed. Imagine being terrified and longing for anyone to help you. Imagine that you call for help, but nobody comes.

Imagine that this keeps happening. Imagine that you are always looking over your shoulder, afraid of anyone sneaking up on you, afraid of being injured so badly you need immediate medical attention. Imagine being afraid for your life. Imagine having had enough and trying to leave, only to be beaten nearly into a coma by the person who now owns you.

You are not a person.

You are street trash.

You are nothing.

You are a prostitute.

This is the everyday reality for too many people trapped in the sex industry. They are in a situation which they have no control over, and all they know is how terrified and sick they feel every single day. These people deserve protection when they cannot give it to themselves. Join the Persons for the Protection and Rehabilitation of Sex Workers and help lobby the police force to take the distress calls of prostitutes more seriously, so when they call, they know somebody will be there and whomever hurt them will never be able to do it to anyone else.

Now imagine a world where even when all seems lost, you don’t have to be afraid. Make it a reality.


 * Letter to the Editor**

Dear Editor,

It has come to my attention that a very important issue does not come to most peoples’ attention. Many people don’t seem to acknowledge, or care about, the everyday plight that prostitutes are faced to deal with. Very few people could even comprehend the horrors of being assaulted both violently and sexually on a regular basis, but for these prostituted persons, it is a constant reality they are forced to face and very few people do very much if anything at all to help them, including law enforcement. Most prostitutes do not report to the police any crimes committed against them. Why? Partly because they do not want to be arrested themselves, but mostly because they know that there is no point. Most reports are simply dismissed because of the nature of the victim or the bare minimum amount of time and resources is paid towards investigating the claims made. And what does the offender do but get bolder and continue to do the same thing to other women. Not only does he escalate in confidence, but also in the violent nature of his crimes. Sexual predators do not stop assaulting new victims and escalate overtime. Pretty soon, they won’t be exclusively attacking prostitutes any more if they aren’t stopped. And besides, doesn’t everybody deserve a right to a feeling of safety, no matter how they go about putting bread on the table? Nobody wants to be a prostitute, nobody enjoys it. When one chooses to enter the sex industry, it is because one is all out of other options. No one wakes up one morning and decides to become a prostitute. They do it because it is what they have to do to survive. And if they are stuck in a bad situation, don’t they at least deserve to know that they are safe until they can free themselves from it? Prostitutes are a group of people that is normally seen as too unimportant to care about. Honestly, how can anyone think such a thing, that a person is undeserving of help because of their low status? Don’t we think anyone who looks down on someone for being disadvantaged is cold and selfish? Don’t we establish countless organizations to help the poor, homeless, and otherwise impoverished people in need of assistance? So why not prostitutes? Don’t they need our help more than any of these people? Over 70% of prostitutes are current or past homeless, nearly all of them live below the poverty line, and of course there is the matter of how they are constantly being victimized. Sounds to me like they could really use some help and protection. If we as people are supposed to help our neighbours, and if it is noble and good to give strength to the weak and guardianship to those who need protection, then we should give this to those unfortunate prostituted people. They deserve the attention of the police just as much as anybody, they deserve to have part of that promise to be protected and served. If they need to live a life that is miserable, at the very least they should not need to be afraid.

Lina


 * COMMENT WRITTEN BY AN ANONYMOUS POSTER IN RESPONSE TO A COMMENT ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD :** Well, I know comments should belong on the discussion page, however, I would like to answer your question. As Lina wrote, prostitutes never aspired to become prostitutes, many are impoverished and desperate and felt as though they had no other choice in their compromised situation. Many women who are the victims of abuse when they are young turn to prostitution to make a living because due to the way they have been treated, they feel that is the only occupation they are good enough for. I feel that women who have found themselves trapped in the sex industry should be offered help, that often times it is not by choice, but out of desperation and lack of self-esteem. Conversely, it is the way female sexuality is viewed in our society that this occurs. It is due to the shame and stigma behind female sexuality that prostitution is viewed in this way and abuse towards these individuals is considered acceptable. Because this occupation is consider lowly and shameful, women with poor self-esteem often find themselves trapped in the sex industry. However, if we lived in a society where female sexuality was viewed as male sexuality is, I don't feel this would be an issue. Females have been taught to be ashamed of their sexuality, whereas men are free to express it, and the women who do, are dirty and shameful. It's a vicious circle and it's due to the mindset of our society. I find it difficult to adequately and coherently express my feelings in writing sometimes, but I hope that my point is understood.

= **Title** =

Putting the Backboard Together: (June 7)
<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">REMINDER: DIALOGUES FOR DEMOCRACY WILL BE HELD AT 7:00 PM Wednesday June 9th in the High School Cafeteria. You are required to be there. Project Completed by: Lina Clark