In a Queens Court, Women in Prostitution Cases are Seen as Victims

Long-time AABANY member Judge Toko Serita discusses victims at risk and Human Trafficking Intervention Court in the latest New York Times article by Liz Robbins, “In a Queens Court, Women in Prostitution Cases are Seen as Victims.”

Robbins discusses at length the less adversarial nature of Human Trafficking Intervention Court and its intention is to change the legal conversation around the multibillion-dollar sex trade by redefining the women in it as victims instead of criminals. “This court is not devised to solve the problems of trafficking,” Judge Serita said of the program, “but to address one of the unfortunate byproducts, which is the arrest of these defendants on prostitution charges.” Click on the link to the article to read more insights from Judge Serita and others.