Policy + Advocacy

 

Ending exploitation through survivor-led policy change.

At My Life My Choice, we believe no one should be bought or sold and that it will take collective action to end exploitation. We advocate for legislative change that codifies safety, rights, and resources for minor and adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation as well as for youth facing structural inequities which puts them at greater risk for exploitation. 

  • Ensuring Youth Can Thrive

    Increasing safety and opportunity to ensure that youth are able to not only survive, but truly thrive must be a priority. We believe it is critical to pass legislation that interrupts systemic harm that youth face and that promotes safety, community, and education. In doing so, we are able to address the structural inequities that give rise to the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

  • Supporting Survivors

    Opening more doors to recovery and safety is crucial as the trajectory of a survivor’s life post-trauma is specific to the individual. We are committed to ending all forms of power-based violence, as we know they are intricately linked, including sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and commercial sexual exploitation, by advocating for legislation that codifies survivors’ rights, support, and safety

  • Changing Systems

    In our work supporting young people pushed to the margins and involved in systems, we are committed to legislative reform that increases transparency and accountability from these systems to increase trauma-informed, tailored responses, ensuring equitable outcomes for all youth and all survivors.

The Sex Trade Survivors Act

H.1597/S.983 — An Act to Strengthen Justice and Support for Sex Trade Survivors
Representatives Keefe, Farley-Bouvier & Senators Edwards, Friedman

We ensure that survivor voices are at the table. We work on policy and protocol development and serve as fierce advocates for policy reform and legislation alongside the EMMA Coalition. Led and introduced by survivor leaders based in Massachusetts, this bill aims to increase agency, safety, and autonomy for survivors of the commercial sex industry. This bill:

Legislation We Support:
2023-2024 Legislative Session

 Ensuring Youth Can Thrive

  • S.68
    Senator Comerford

    Youth involved in the child welfare system — given their histories of neglect, abuse, and violence — are disproportionally vulnerable to being commercially sexually exploited. In 2022, 84% of the youth served by My Life My Choice were involved in the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF). For youth involved in and transitioning out of DCF, this bill codifies their right to: Safety and security; Connections to family; Community and identity; Health care and accessibility; Education; Empowerment and social connections; Resources and supports.

    A child’s knowledge of their rights is critical to decreasing their risk of CSEC and improving overall health and safety outcomes.

  • Representatives O’Day, Howard & Senator DiDomenico
    H.544/S.268

    Youth that have experienced sexual violence face disproportionate vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitation. According to new data from the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 5 teen girls and 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ youth experience sexual violence.

    Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is proven to reduce the risk of sexual and intimate partner violence and other forms of abuse, thus reducing the vulnerabilities that can lead to exploitation. The Healthy Youth Act is a step in the right direction to ensure safety for youth across Massachusetts. This bill requires public schools that already teach CSE to ensure that it is medically accurate, age appropriate, and LGBTQ+ inclusive.

  • Representative Sabadosa & Senator DiDomenico
    H.1756/S.954

    Commercially sexually exploited youth face criminalization linked to their victimization for illegal activities exploiters coerce, force, or manipulate them into carrying out. When youth do enter the juvenile legal system, it is imperative that they are protected and not further traumatized. This bill would prohibit law enforcement from using deceit, including false or misleading facts, information, or evidence, while interrogating youth in police custody, which can lead to false confessions.

Supporting Survivors

  • Representatives Keefe, Farley-Bouvier & Senators Edwards, Friedman H.1597/S.983

    Led and introduced by survivor leaders based in Massachusetts, The Sex Trade Survivors Act aims to increase agency, safety, and autonomy for survivors of the commercial sex industry. This bill: Ensures individuals who are bought and sold for sex will not be criminalized while continuing to hold those who do harm accountable — buyers and exploiters; Expunges past criminal charges of “prostitution,” “common nightwalking,” and “streetwalking”; Creates a statewide commission to prevent exploitation and increase access to survivor-led exit programming.

  • Representatives Nguyen, Barber & Senator Gomez
    H.1701/S.1002

    For survivors of exploitation and trafficking, the stigma of a criminal record creates inequitable and frequently insurmountable barriers to housing, stable jobs, custody, and the ability to meet other basic needs. Access to expungement and record sealing can increase survivors’ agency and opportunity. This bill seeks to eliminate the waiting period for sealing records and expands availability for expungement/vacatur to ensure that survivors of exploitation, sexual violence, and intimate partner violence have a clear path to economic empowerment.

  • Representative Nguyen & Senator Montigny
    H.1706/S.1054

    While victim compensation has been available in Massachusetts since 2012, only ONE survivor of trafficking has qualified and received lost wages compensation. This bill more broadly grants survivors $25,000 in lost wages compensation and removes barriers to access by not requiring employment documentation to qualify.

  • Representative Roy & Senator Keenan
    H.1745/S.1012

    The impacts and permanency of online exploitation and image-based sexual assault creates a lasting effect of violence and trauma that is all too common for survivors. This bill takes a crucial step to enshrine rights and protections for survivors by making it a criminal offense to distribute explicit images or videos of an individual without their consent. Additionally, this bill ensures prevention and education for youth to mitigate and respond to the distribution of sexually explicit materials, decriminalizes minors who produce and distribute sexually explicit materials, and creates a diversion program for youth found distributing sexually explicit materials.

Changing Systems

  • Representative Walsh H.2416

    Across Massachusetts, young people are bought and sold for sex, often occurring in transient lodgings (hotels, motels, etc.). Because hotels and other forms of lodging are perceived to be anonymous and private in nature, they are ground zero for commercial sexual exploitation. This has gone on for far too long and, through involvement and dedication from hotel workers, we can break the cycle. This bill requires training for workers in this industry to prevent exploitation and intervene when it does happen, which is critical to ending exploitation.

  • Representative Finn & Senator Oliveira
    H.165/S.124

    In Massachusetts, youth facing structural inequities, including, but not limited to youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth, youth with disabilities, and youth from low- income families are over-represented in the child welfare system. To be able to address these disparities through policy and future legislative reform, a better method is needed for tracking trends and disproportionalities. This bill would increase accountability and transparency from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) through enhanced data reporting. This bill also includes the foster care bill of rights in S68.

  • Representative Donato & Senator Moran
    S.120/H.153

    State systems that provide services to youth carry the responsibility to break down barriers to safety and equity. Research currently shows that these systems are fraught with disparities. To ensure these systems can best support all children, this bill requires child-serving state agencies to report to the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) on disproportionality and inequity in their services and, with guidance from the OCA, take corrective action to improve internal policies and training, diversify employment, and decrease disparities in outcomes amongst youth.

  • Representative Vargas & Senator Creem
    H.1802/S.931

    Youth facing structural inequities, because of their identities, are disproportionately represented in the juvenile legal system. To increase transparency and accountability, this bill requires data collection and public reporting on key legal system decision points for youth by age, gender, sexuality, and offense. Increased transparency will identify disparate impacts of the legal system on youth based on their identities and pave way for future reform.

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