Episode 96: Laura Ramirez of Af3irm on decolonizing "sex work"

04/09/20 • 57 min

On this episode of the en(gender)ed podcast, our guest is Laura Ramirez, the Program Coordinator at Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) . In that role and as a member of Af3irm, a transnational feminist organization, Laura speaks to us today about the ways in which health care policy and, in particular, COVID-19 or the coronavirus impacts human and sex trafficking, prostitution and pornography.. We will explore the ways in which the global demand for prostitution puts women and girls at particularly high risk of harm and exacerbates systemic gender disparities in income, wealth, mobility, and health outcomes.

During our conversation, Laura and I referenced the following resources and topics:

The difference between "sex trafficking" and "human trafficking" and the definition offered by the Palermo Protocol
Sex trafficking as a gendered crime given that over 90% of global victims are women and girls
"Sex work" and labor rights
NYC's proposed bill to decriminalize prostitution
The difference between legalization or decriminalization of prostitution and the Equality or Nordic Model
The work that New Yorkers for the Equality Model is doing to oppose the decriminalization bill
The impact of COVID-19 on the prostitution industry across the world
How the Nordic model has shifted the shame from those prostituted to the buyers as a deterrent to prostitution
Pornhub's offer of free premium porn as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and mask donation
How coronavirus porn is going viral
The recently passed "Child Parent Security Act" in NYS which legalizes commercial surrogacy
NYC's "Sex Worker's Pop-Up" that is sponsored by the Open Society Foundations

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During our conversation, Laura and I referenced the following resources and topics:

The difference between "sex trafficking" and "human trafficking" and the definition offered by the Palermo Protocol
Sex trafficking as a gendered crime given that over 90% of global victims are women and girls
"Sex work" and labor rights
NYC's proposed bill to decriminalize prostitution
The difference between legalization or decriminalization of prostitution and the Equality or Nordic Model
The work that New Yorkers for the Equality Model is doing to oppose the decriminalization bill
The impact of COVID-19 on the prostitution industry across the world
How the Nordic model has shifted the shame from those prostituted to the buyers as a deterrent to prostitution
Pornhub's offer of free premium porn as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and mask donation
How coronavirus porn is going viral
The recently passed "Child Parent Security Act" in NYS which legalizes commercial surrogacy
NYC's "Sex Worker's Pop-Up" that is sponsored by the Open Society Foundations

---

Thanks for tuning in to the en(gender)ed podcast!

Be sure to check out our en(gender)ed site and follow our blog on Medium.

Join our feminist community of survivors, advocates and allies!

Consider donating because your support is what makes this work sustainable.

Please also connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show!

Previous Episode

Episode 95: en(gender)ed Reflections trailer on the gendered impact of COVID-19 or the coronavirus

During our conversation, Michael and I touched upon the following resources:

Healthcare officials' consideration to recommend broader use of face masks
The shortage of the masks in the United States
How domestic violence incidents have increased since and enabled by the lockdown
A United Nations' 2018 study on how the home is the most dangerous place for women titled "Global Study on Homicide"
The connection between male unemployment and increased rates of domestic violence
How abusers are weaponizing he coronavirus to further interfere with the relationship between protective mother and child--a typical #abusertactic
The #abusertactic of "parental alienation" or "parental alienation syndrome (PAS)" to discredit claims of abuse and Joan Meier's research on how courts punish mothers for reporting abuse
Increased independent and Democratic support for Trump despite his bungling of the COVID-19 crisis
Behind the numbers of Trump's approval rating
How Trump is touting the use of a non-CDC tested and approved drug, Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, to treat coronavirus, and how an Arizona man died self-medicating with a form of the drug
Trump's misogynistic attacks on women leading the charge to help their companies or states in response to the coronavius
How a Texas official believes that the elderly should and want to die from COVID-19 in order to save the economy
How the media was mischaracterizing Democrats' opposition to stimulus bill components that favored corporations over individuals as obstructionist

---

Thanks for tuning in to the en(gender)ed podcast!

Be sure to check out our en(gender)ed site and follow our blog on Medium.

Join our feminist community of survivors, advocates and allies!

Consider donating because your support is what makes this work sustainable.

Please also connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show!

Next Episode

Episode 97: #SurvivorStories Series with "Carol" on parenting with an abuser during COVID-19

On this #SurvivorStories series episode, our guest is "Carol." a protective mom of two young boys. Carol shares with us her struggles as a parent during a pandemic and how her efforts to keep her children safe are compromised by her ex-husband. During our conversation, "Carol" shares with us examples of #abusertactics used by her ex-husband that inhibit her ability to make safe choices for her children and for herself and some #upstandertips on how we, as a society, can use this awareness to do better.

During our conversation, Carol and I referenced the following resources and topics:

The NYT article by Megan Twohey on how COVID-19 is affecting custody arrangements
Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor's book, She Said, on the Harvey Weinstein #MeToo takedown
Teri's response to Megan's article on Twitter
How coercive control manifests in family court decisions for survivors and their children
The Queens mom, Jessica Chan, who sent her kids to her parents so they could be safe while she worked on the frontlines
The recent Wisconsin primary election and the latest challenge to the Supreme Court's decision about absentee ballots
Voter disenfranchisement as "coercive control"