fostering economic security and agency to end exploitation
Why the Wellbeing Model?
Too often, people engaged in commercial sex become pawns in a broader debate over whether or not sex work is good or bad. People have feelings about whether or not they like sex work. But when we get focused on our feelings about commercial sex, we forget to focus on what matters most: THE WELLBEING OF PEOPLE WHO TRADE SEX.
We believe we can foster safety for individuals in the sex trades while ending exploitation and assisting survivors of trafficking. We are committed to finding creative solutions that do not throw one group under the bus in the name of "saving" another.
We recognize that we don’t foster resilience by removing a person’s decision-making over their own life. When we minimize the number of tradeoffs people need to make to survive, they can choose wellbeing (whatever that looks like for them). We can’t fight misogyny by controlling women’s access to options. We can’t fight racism without advocating for social justice (which includes taking a critical look at policing and criminal legal systems). We can’t protect children without understanding the family and community dynamics that increase risk.
We understand that the needs of workers organizing for their own safety are rarely the needs of giant corporations, and we trust workers to tell us what keeps them safe. We don’t punish worker-organizers for the decisions of big corporations, and know that we will never end exploitation without supporting worker organizing.
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We don't foster safety and security by removing options.
Some people choose sex work. It's that simple. For those who are choosing it out of limited options, we don't foster their wellbeing by removing options. We can create options through genuine connection, fostering economic security, and removing barriers to stability.