Calling current prostitution laws “a ridiculous puritanical farce,” Somerville city councilor at large Willie Burnley brought forward a resolution April 25 supporting a state bill protecting sex workers and victims of human trafficking.
The resolution was approved by the council quickly, with six other members signing onto the statement.
Introducing the resolution, Burnley criticized the level of criminalization that sex workers face despite the proven ineffectiveness of such laws.
“Sex work is real work, and like all workers, sex workers deserve worker rights and protections,” Burnley said. “This is something that impacts Somerville as much as any other community across the country.”
After introducing the resolution, Burnley gave advocates of decriminalization a chance to speak on the subject.
Jessica Van Meir, a founding member of the Boston Sex Workers and Allies Collective, said she’d like to see a bill that pursues full decriminalization, but that the current legislation is “a first step on which everyone can agree.”
The main text of the bill would create a system to support and aid victims of human trafficking and people vulnerable to it. The bill would also allow sex workers to report crimes related to their work without fear of arrest. Van Meir said her group is aware of a dangerous person that has targeted sex workers in the Boston area, but the victims have not reported him to the police due to fear of arrest.
Lastly, the bill would create a committee to study the full decriminalization of sex work in the Commonwealth.
Different approach in bill
The bill supported by the council is not the only legislation related to sex work on the table at the State House – legislators are also considering “An Act to Strengthen Justice and Support for Sex Trade Survivors,” based on the “Nordic model” of policing sex work. This bill would provide support and assistance for “prostituted persons” while increasing the penalties for buying sex.
Van Meir said her group does not support the approach, as it still increases the level of police surveillance on sex work and keeps the practice underground.
Ward 4 councilor Jesse Clingan supported the resolution, noting that the bill would reduce the harms of a practice that will occur with or without criminalization.
Continues worker support
The resolution is also not the first time the council has supported decriminalization, as it voted in 2019 to request that the Somerville Police Department not arrest or prosecute sex workers, Ward 2 councilor J.T. Scott said.
“I’m proud to be a part of a body that recognizes the human dignity of work and that we should allow our neighbors to pursue their work in a way that is safest for them,” Scott said.
The legislation was also sponsored by councilors Jake Wilson, Kristen Strezo, Naima Sait and president Ben Ewen-Campen.
This post was updated May 8, 2024, to correct the names of Jessica Van Meir and the Boston Sex Workers and Allies Collective and clarify that it is specifically the victims of a dangerous person who had not reported him.
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Why do I have a feeling this is all an in to collect permitting fees 😜
A step in the right direction. Good on Somerville.
Because it worked so well in California….