SESTA/FOSTA Must Be Repealed!

SESTA/FOSTA Must Be Repealed! I am writing to to alert you to an issue I care about – the repeal of the 2018 Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers (SESTA) and Fight Online Sex Trafficking (FOSTA) Acts. Although ensuring the well-being and human rights of sex workers in itself is urgent, the passage of federal laws SESTA/FOSTA has made working conditions more dangerous for sex workers, and it is an infringement on everyone's liberty (including non-sex workers). When online options for connecting sex workers with clients were removed with the passage of SESTA/FOSTA, sex work became more dangerous. Sex workers returned to street based prostitution, and the protective services of third parties, generally referred to as pimps. Sex workers on the street are unable to screen thier clients and are at an increased risk of violence by predators and pimps. Sexual service providers have witnessed an uptick in the amount of violence/abuse occurring with victim/exploiter relationships since the passage of the legislation. SESTA/FOSTA has inadvertently encouraged the abuse it sought to eradicate, as often happens when labor regulations are passed without consulting workers on how to best combat exploitation. It is unclear if this law has had any effect on rates of humantrafficking in the United States, but it has definitely increased the risks sex workers and trafficking survivors face. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing back from you with your position on this issue.