By: eva_greene, Posted: Mar 8 09

Regions: Macedonia FYR, United States

Issues: Health, Women's rights

Tags: las vegas, name and shame, nevada, sex workers' rights

Sex workers live often precarious lives, especially in places like Las Vegas, USA, where prostitution is rampant but illegal. The Las Vegas Police Department's newest initiative to crack down on prostitution on the Strip - releasing photographs of alleged sex workers publicly via the media - is not only counterproductive, but it has the potential to make sex workers' lives even more dangerous.

The Las Vegas Police recently released the photos, names and ages of alleged sex workers from the so-called VETO list of Top 50 Repeat Offenders to the media.  The Las Vegas Review Journal, the area’s main newspaper, published several of these pictures in mid-February, along with an article about the VETO list.  This article is now one of the most popular stories of the week on the newspaper's website, and is still featured prominently on the front page.  We have chosen not to provide the link to the article, to avoid perpetuating the stigma the women have experienced.

To see how sex workers in Las Vegas are responding to this, go here.  You can take action by writing to the editor of the Las Vegas Review Journal here.  

Using the media to shame sex workers is a well-worn tactic, recently used against WITNESS' core partner in FYR Macedonia, Healthy Options Project Skopje.  Being outed on the internet with their names, pictures, and ages violates these women's right to privacy - and it destabilizes their lives as many depend on anonymity. This practice affects not only the women themselves, but also their families and communities, and it has a very negative long-term impact on their future, including job prospects outside of the sex industry.

But in the case of Las Vegas, although prostitution is illegal, the industry is estimated to bring between one and six billion US dollars into the city every year, with advertising alone worth 24 million USD.  The patchwork policy of cracking down only on street workers, by deliberately subjecting the most vulnerable to public shame is not a constructive way to address this issue.  If prostitution is to be legal in Las Vegas, it needs to be regulated responsibly, with the input of sex workers, to ensure that the legislation reflects current best practices.

To learn more about how sex workers are trying to influence new legislation on the legal brothel business in Nevada, and how they have in the past, particularly through calling for evidence-based approaches, go here.

To learn more about HOPS and how WITNESS is collaborating with them, go here.

[Eva Hoier Greene is a Program Intern at WITNESS]