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ABOUT US

New Yorkers for the Equality Model is a survivor-led alliance made up of more than thirty advocates, prostitution and sex trafficking survivors, and organizational partners seeking to implement the Equality Model, decriminalizing only individuals in prostitution, in New York State. 

WHAT WE STAND FOR

We believe in equality and justice for all. To achieve this vision in New York State, we must address the sex trade, especially prostitution, through a solution that will shrink this exploitative industry and provide resources to those impacted by it. The lifelong psychological harm and trauma the sex trade causes can never be regulated away. As an alliance, we seek to: 

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  • End the arrest and incarceration of people who are bought and sold in the multi-billion dollar sex trade.

  • Fund and implement comprehensive services, including housing, trauma-informed medical and mental health services, education and job training, for people in prostitution. These must include exit strategies for those who wish to leave the sex trade. 

  • Hold sex buyers accountable for the lifelong harm and trauma they cause through demand-focused laws and policies that will also work to shrink the sex trade, preventing more people from being pulled into harm’s way and decreasing sex trafficking.

  • Educate the public and policymakers about the reality of the sex trade, including the harmful effects of sex buying & pimping on people in prostitution.

  • Shift the stigma associated with prostitution from those in the sex trade to the sex buyers and exploiters who cause real harm.

  • Protect the most vulnerable and marginalized in our State: women & girls, especially of color, members of Black & Brown communities, the LGBTQ+ population, run away and foster youth, individuals experiencing homelessness, and undocumented immigrants.

  • Hold pimps, traffickers, and brothel & illicit massage parlor owners accountable.

AF3IRM is a national organization of women engaged in transnational feminist, anti-imperialist activism and dedicated to the fight against oppression in all its forms.  AF3IRM’s diverse, multi-ethnic membership is committed to militant movement-building from the United States and effects change through grassroots organizing, trans-ethnic alliance building, education, advocacy and direct action.

CATW is one of the oldest international organizations working to end the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls. Through an approach rooted in women’s rights and human rights principles, we advocate for strong laws and policies, raise public awareness, and support survivor leadership. We seek to create a world where no woman or girl is ever bought or sold.

For more than four decades, Covenant House has helped transform and save the lives of more than a million homeless, runaway and trafficked young people. We offer housing and support services to young people in need.

As the leading policy organization in the United States seeking to end the commercial, sexual exploitation of children, PACT-USA focuses on awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation. PACT-USA is a member of ECPACT-International, a network of organizations in 104 countries working together toward one common mission: to eliminate the sexual exploitation of children.

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EQUALITY NOW

In partnership with grassroots groups, Equality Now raises international visibility of individual cases of abuse, mobilizes public support through its global membership, and wields strategic political pressure to ensure that governments enact or enforce laws and policies that uphold the rights of women and girls.

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MENTARI

Mentari translates to the sun in Indonesian. Victims of human trafficking are kept in the dark every day, Mentari believes in helping survivors and bringing them back into the light. We mentor and empower survivors of violence, abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. Our mission is to bring survivors back into the community and thrive independently.

In full partnership with families and communities, Graham Windham strives to make a life-altering difference with children, youth and families who are overcoming some of life’s most difficult challenges and obstacles, by helping to build a strong foundation for life: a safe, loving, permanent family and the opportunity and preparation to thrive in school and in the world.

LifeWay Network joins the global movement against human trafficking by providing safe housing for women who have been trafficked and offering education about trafficking to the general public.

Formed in September 2020, Lynn’s Warriors is committed to ending human trafficking and sexual exploitation by raising awareness through grassroots mobilization, advocacy, education and policy. Founder Lynn Shaw's radio program on WVOX sheds light on these issues every week. 

The New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition is a group of organizations that have joined forces to increase public awareness of human trafficking in our communities, enact anti-trafficking laws, improve law enforcement response and increase social services to help people escape trafficking. 

NOT ON MY WATCH! Combats human trafficking and domestic violence through educational training and community engagement; court and policy advocacy; and providing support and resources for victims and survivors.

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NOW-NYC

NOW-NYC ignites change for the women and girls of New York. We advance laws, promote women in politics, fight for reproductive justice, challenge discrimination and violence against women, and act NOW.

Based in Buffalo, Project Mona's House is designed to help women 18 and older who have been victims of any type of human trafficking. We are more than a shelter. Women entering our residence are committed to becoming contributing and functioning members of society, rebuilding their lives, and possibly assisting other women who may choose freedom one day too.  Our 12-24 month program is designed to bring healing to the whole woman-- mind, body, and soul.  We've specifically designed our holistic restoration program for women who have been victimized by human trafficking.  

The Rochester Regional Coalition Against Human Trafficking was founded in 2013 to harness the passion of this community into action. After many meetings between all stakeholders in the community, RRCAHT decided that its role in the community would be to fill gaps that existing service providers accomplish. In particular, RRCAHT became a force for public education and legislative advocacy around human trafficking in the greater Rochester area.

SAFE's mission is to expose human trafficking and domestic violence. SAFE is committed to alleviating the suffering of those who are being trafficked by providing safe housing, education, and survivors mentoring training. We are also committed to raising awareness on public, political and church platforms to stop this horrific violence.  SAFE is dedicated to empowering these women to have a voice through council and emotional healing. SAFE’s objective is to promote these victims not only to survive but to succeed in life. 

Sanctuary for Families is New York’s leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking and related forms of gender violence. Every year, we empower thousands of adults and children to move from fear and abuse to safety and stability, transforming lives through a range of comprehensive services and advocacy.

World Without Exploitation was born of a series of conversations among exploitation and trafficking survivors, human rights and gender justice advocates, artists, activists, and direct service providers. We’re united in the belief that we won’t end exploitation until we confront its root causes. We know that an injustice that goes unseen is an injustice that goes unchallenged. And challenging a world in which human beings are being trafficked and exploited is what World Without Exploitation is all about.

STEERING COMMITTEE

Individual names have been omitted for privacy and protection
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