Jessica Ramos: “We, within the law, don't empower [sex workers] to report…”

“The fact that our penal code actually doesn't differentiate between sex workers who are coerced, meaning that they're forced into the trade versus those doing it out of their own volition. We, within the law, don't empower [sex workers] to report violence against them. And it makes it very difficult to regulate a vice. Look, when it comes to vices in general, we can stand here and have a debate about things being right, things being wrong.” (02:28–02:34)

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.