Sex Workers Outreach Project organizers are planning a Shreveport vigil to raise awareness about the violence faced by sex workers, says Loftin Wilson. The vigil will begin on Wednesday, Wednesday, December 17th at 7 p.m. at the Caddo Parish Courthouse, 501 Texas St in Shreveport.
“Criminalizing sex work has not worked,” commented Lindsay Roth of the Outreach Project. “We know that criminalization leads to more violence by stigmatizing sex workers and contributing to unsafe working conditions. If you fear arrest, negotiating your personal safety becomes a secondary concern.”
Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP)-USA promotes decriminalizing sex work, or ending criminal penalties for the selling or purchasing of sex, says Roth.
“We hope that December 17, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, sends a message that sex workers’ lives do matter, and that victims of violence were people worth remembering and protecting.”