Blog Posts

With a post-Roe v Wade world looming, what is the role of harm reduction in supporting access to abortion care?

This blog explores meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience within social justice movements and non-profit organizations.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, meaning there’s often a flurry of legislation that is introduced across the country on the topic.

What does it mean to survive? What does survival look like? These questions are at the core of many issues which sit at the nexus of economics, public safety, and public health.

An interview with the co-founders of Molly House Project, Shaan Lashun and TT Baum.

When one Googles “sex trafficking” on the Internet, the dominant images one will see will be cis White women and girls.

If we learned anything in the last year and a half, accessing services for support is a fraught process for many people.

When I first began my work in the anti-trafficking movement, after having already worked in related anti-violence movements for years, I would occasionally come across the writings of human trafficking survivors who were also sex worker rights activists.

When we talk about violence against sex workers, what do we mean? The rare media story that addresses this topic — often coinciding with the annual obligatory mention of International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers — typically conjures images of physical violence at the hands of an individual perpetrator.

Earlier this year, Apple shared a set of interventions regarding young people’s access to technology. After criticism, a narrow set of advocates were asked to give line-edits on the policy and held a series of conversations fronted by these hand-picked advocates.

In 1999, Sweden adopted a law which criminalized those who sought or purchased the services of people who sold sex as part of a swath of policies which were debated over the lens of gender equity.

On March 11, President Biden signed into law one of the largest economic investments in American history, the American Rescue Plan. While there’s been a lot of conversation about what isn’t in it, notably lacking was a national Potato-and-legume gender reveal party, there is a lot to celebrate.

One of the biggest questions before Congress and the administration in 2021 is going to be the regulation of digital platforms and websites.

Today is January 11, Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Department of Homeland Security tells us all to wear blue and take selfies, many organizations sent out fundraising blasts for you to prove awareness, and for-profit companies will make some acknowledgement of the words “human trafficking” to show they are aware.

Every October, the country takes a moment to raise awareness about intimate partner violence (IPV), domestic violence and dating violence.

On July 31 the Biden campaign released a statement to mark the eighth annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Police Tape; Image was used in a report on trafficking from Seattle

Post legalizing marijuana, it is easy for liberal voters to think that we are moving towards more just criminal legal practices and recognition of bodily autonomy.

Human Trafficking Awareness Month is more than just posters and commercials — it is a month where we should take a critical look at our approaches and ask how these interventions are growing and evolving.

Human Trafficking Awareness Month is more than just posters and commercials — it is a month where we should take a critical look at our approaches and ask how these interventions are growing and evolving.

Submission of Reframe Health and Justice on the Community Safety and Health Amendment Act of 2019, B23–0318

One of the things that always struck me when I was first organizing around sex worker was how many other organizers came from their high school Gay/Straight Alliances.

June 2nd is International Whores Day or International Sex Worker Day in commemoration of French sex worker’s acts of resistance against their criminalized living conditions in 1975.

This month has been a tough one for anyone who cares about reproductive rights. The pushback has been strong, and immediate.

Often, conversations on “End Demand”, the increased policing and criminalization of purchasers of sexual services, begins when we talk about the “Nordic Model.”

We’re so excited to introduce one of the two newest members of our collective — Paula Kahn!

Two weeks ago, I had the honor and privilege of visiting the United Nations to talk about how the closure of online advertisers had made people who trade sex across the globe more susceptible to violence, victimization and ultimately — trafficking.

We’re so excited to introduce one of the two newest members of our collective — Sangam ‘Alopeke!

Every few years, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act needs a re-visit. As with many pieces of legislation which authorize appropriations (or allow Congress to include things to fund with the Federal budget), budget lines are allowed for a few years, and then expire — requiring Congress to re-authorize that funding every few years. While never required, it also allows Congress to go in and tinker, or expand, if they want to.

Every year, the Department of State puts out an annual call for input on the Trafficking in Persons Report. The report assesses the anti-trafficking efforts of each country, including the United States. Each country is ranked, and unsurprisingly, the US annually labels itself Tier 1, the highest echelon possible.

At the Harm Reduction Conference this year, there was a lot of conversation which highlighted just how far harm reduction organizations are from sex worker rights’ organizations, with SESTA sitting firmly in that chasm.

On December 17, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, communities around the world are coming together to honor those in our community whose lives have been taken by violence.

This week, a roundtable from the RHJ partners with guest Paula Kahn! Paula is the co-founder of Cosmovisiones Ancestrales, an organization that was founded in 2018 to build bridges between indigenous communities, psychedelic researchers, mental-health professionals, drug policy makers, psychedelic consumers, and populations that have been acutely impacted by the legacies of colonialism, slavery, war, and forced migration.

Last week, we released our Principles of Healing-Centered Harm Reduction — check them out here! In this week’s blog post some of us at RHJ, along with current healing justice practictioners, share our thoughts on healing, liberation, and harm.

In our efforts to evolve current paradigms for the health, rights, and dignity of people of color and indigenous people, queer and trans people, people who use drugs, and people who trade sex, Reframe Health and Justice brings forth that:

We are so excited to see you all at the Harm Reduction Conference in New Orleans this year! We started Reframe Health and Justice because we knew there was a niche that needed to be filled — a space for LGBTQ Black, Indigenous, and people of color to bring healing justice and harm reduction to all spaces;

WASHINGTON, DC — The recent seizure of Backpage, along with the shutdowns of Craigslist personals, CityVibe, and other websites where people who trade sex advertise, signals a dangerous moment in the lives of sex workers.

In the last few weeks, the federal bills SESTA and FOSTA have spurred a dialogue about harm reduction for sex workers online. Conversations about screening and safety information and their inherent liability when something is criminalized weighed heavily in the minds of service organizations (though, less so in the minds of politicians).

People who have survived in street economies and underground markets have gained work experience that can’t be taught in schools or corporate internships. These skills translate well to the formal economy, yet in today’s work environment, hiring people with drug or prostitution charges is often seen as a liability.

This week, as Reframe Health and Justice heads to Creating Change, we wanted to remind you why the LGBTQ community should care about sex worker rights and health. We’d love to hear your thoughts and additions!

January has long been dedicated to the awareness of human trafficking, the month where groups show movies, host talks, and re-share articles about how every city is the newest hub of trafficking.

If you had told me ten years ago that I would be working with police, I would have laughed in your face. I was continually cycling between jail and probation and wanted to stay as far away from police as possible.

On December 17, International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, we are sending love, light, and hope to our communities. As we tackle the structural barriers to health and safety, here are some harm reduction tools for you, your friends, your family, and all people in the sex trad

In the wake of revelations about the open secrets of Hollywood sexual abuse, #metoo and the continued crisis of assault on campus, conversations are more present than ever in the mainstream about what safety looks like for women, and the pervasiveness about sexual assault.

On Thursday October 25th, 2017 rising rates of overdose deaths in the United States became a national public health emergency. Opiate overdose is the leading cause of death for people in the US under 50 years of age.

On last week’s How to Get Away with Murder, the story of Jasmine gave a more nuanced story of sex work and trafficking than we often see on television. Her story begged questions about how the criminal legal system is often based on who is viewed as a victim and who is viewed as a criminal.

One of my favorite books is called Part Asian, 100% Hapa, which is a collection of different portraits of people who are multi-racial Asian. Not only was it a book of people who looked just as alien as I did growing up, it asked them the question that has always been a refrain in my life: what ARE you?

I started out shy, a bookworm in the closet, desperately avoiding attention. My parents, strong-willed immigrants without a semblance of a college education between them, reminded me every day: this world was not built for you. It is your job to go out and take what you need.