December 17 Day 4: Stigma Kills

The Power of Stigma

Stigma is a shadow that follows sex workers everywhere—often more destructive than the law itself. It doesn’t just appear in criminal codes or police reports; it shows up in the waiting room at a doctor’s office, in the judgmental glance of a teacher, in the housing application that never gets approved, and in the courtroom where custody decisions are made.

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Stigma whispers a dangerous lie: that sex workers are less than, immoral, and unworthy of protection. And when violence happens, stigma makes sure it is excused, minimized, or erased altogether.

Think about how the media covers violence against sex workers. Headlines label murdered women as “prostitutes” before they acknowledge their humanity. Communities whisper about their “choices” instead of demanding justice for their deaths. This is how stigma kills—not always in the act itself, but in the normalization of neglect that allows violence to thrive unchecked.

How Stigma Fuels Violence

When a sex worker is assaulted, the first question asked is too often not “Who harmed her?” but “Why was she there?” That framing turns the victim into the suspect and the crime into a moral judgment. By shifting responsibility away from perpetrators and onto sex workers, stigma creates an environment where violence is expected, excused, and even justified.

But stigma doesn’t live only in the words people use—it lives in the systems that govern our lives. It informs policies that deny healthcare access, leaving workers to navigate unsafe conditions without care. It shows up in housing discrimination that pushes people into instability. It limits funding for safety initiatives because “those lives” are considered less valuable. Stigma isn’t just perception; it’s policy. And when stigma shapes policy, it becomes violence.

Rewriting the Narrative

December 17 is our chance to reclaim dignity. It is our day to say, loudly and unapologetically, that sex workers’ lives matter, that we deserve safety, and that stigma is unacceptable. Rewriting the narrative means shifting how we speak, how we report, and how we imagine justice. It means replacing pity with solidarity, silence with truth, and stigma with affirmation.

Changing the story is not symbolic—it is transformative. When society talks about sex workers as people with rights, families, and futures, it becomes harder to justify violence. When the language we use affirms dignity, it chips away at the foundation of stigma.

How You Can Take Action Today

• Speak Differently: Words matter. Use “sex worker,” not slurs. Call people in when they use demeaning terms. Language shapes culture.

• Challenge Media: Push back when headlines stigmatize victims. Demand coverage that respects lives lost instead of sensationalizing them.

• Normalize Solidarity: Talk openly about supporting sex workers in your family, friend groups, faith spaces, and workplaces. Silence allows stigma to grow unchecked.

  
  

Reflection

Stigma thrives in silence. By naming it, confronting it, and refusing to let it pass unchallenged, we weaken one of the most powerful drivers of violence. On December 17, remembering those we’ve lost means not only mourning their lives but dismantling the forces that made their deaths possible.

Ending stigma is as essential as ending criminalization, because both are weapons that kill. To honor sex workers, we must insist: no more silence, no more shame. Only dignity, solidarity, and justice.