.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

“"I think we’ve seen in a number of countries and, in a number of states, progress made towards making certain that women are protected,” Abrams said when asked if she had any thoughts on the decriminalization of sex work. “And that ultimately should be the point. Women should not put their lives at risk because of sex. And whether it is seen as a commercial enterprise, or it's human trafficking, our obligation is to create a safe space so that no woman risks her life because of sex."

Although sex work hasn't traditionally been a high-profile issue in presidential campaigns, that appears to be changing. Two Democratic candidates for president — Sen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — have come out in favor of decriminalizing prostitution since they launched their presidential campaigns, the Root and BuzzFeed News report. A third candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, told the Breakfast Club that he doesn't have a position on the issue but that it's a "good question" to be asking.
The Root on YouTube

However, all of this is somewhat complicated by the fact that Harris, Gabbard, and Sanders all voted for FOSTA, a piece of legislation that's almost universally loathed by sex workers. Although ostensibly aimed at cracking down on human trafficking, sex worker advocacy groups say the law has made consensual sex work much more dangerous for women, in large part by shutting down websites that allowed them to trade tips on safety and screen potential clients.

SESTA/FOSTA enjoyed near-universal support in Congress: Only two Senators and 25 representatives voted against it. Every lawmaker running for the Democratic nomination for president voted for the legislation, and one — Sen. Amy Klobuchar — co-sponsored it. “

https://www.bustle.com/p/stacey-abrams-comments-on-sex-work-are-pretty-nuanced-17043105

Thank you!

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Here is the actual video and interview on The Root… I have some interesting feelings about it now that I have watched it.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

' A man allegedly ran a sex trafficking ring out of his parents' basement

By Sonia Moghe, CNN

Updated at 1:06 AM ET, Fri April 26, 2019



New York (CNN) — For years, authorities say, a man lured women with drug addictions into a sex trafficking ring he ran out of his parents' Long Island basement, allegedly keeping them locked up and forcing them to perform sex acts with others in exchange for money and drugs.

That man, Raymond Rodio III, 47, was indicted by a grand jury on April 17 on eight counts of sex trafficking and six counts of promoting prostitution. He was arraigned Thursday, pleaded not guilty and is being held on $1 million cash bail, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini.

The Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, which is representing Rodio, had no comment when contacted by CNN. Rodio faces a maximum of 25 years in prison if he is convicted.



Related Article: How to help: Anti-trafficking organizations around the world

Rodio mainly targeted vulnerable women in their 20s who were addicted to drugs, Sini said. The ring allegedly ran between December 2014 and February 2019, and Sini said about 20 women were victims.

Sini said Rodio would initially provide the women with drugs like heroin and crack cocaine for free. "He would then hold their addictions, their diseases, over their heads to force them to work with him," Sini said. "He would initially supply many of these women with drugs for free so that they would develop a dependency on him. After he set up prostitution dates for his victims, he would provide them with heroin or crack cocaine in order to impair their judgment." '

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/25/us/sex-trafficking-ring-from-parents-basement/index.html

.
.
.
.
.
.

Discernment between

women with addictions

and

disabled women with establishment denied conditions desperate for relief from suffering whose only recourse ends up being street drugs

?

.
.
.
.
.
.