(Submitted Photo)

CHENANGO COUNTY – Assemblyman Joseph Angelino (R,C,I-Norwich) rejects the Assembly Majority’s bill to decriminalize prostitution, A.3355.

Today the legislation was advanced by the Assembly Committee on Codes, despite Republican opposition to the bill.

“I am deeply troubled by efforts from the Assembly Majority to decriminalize prostitution, essentially calling it legal. Proponents of the bill say it is to protect individuals from being targeted by the police. Yet, we know that sex work has been statistically shown to put those who engage in this activity in grave danger of becoming victims of violence,” said Angelino, a retired police chief. “The answer is not less policing. Contact with law enforcement can be a first step in helping someone receive needed services to remove them from situations of violence and get them off the streets.”

“I wonder how many people would be comfortable having a son, daughter, mother or aunt in this industry. This bill essentially says that New York doesn’t care enough to step in.”

According to a review of 28 different studies published by the American Public Health Association in 2014, violence against sex workers is an increasing concern, with lifetime prevalence of violence ranging from 45 to 75 percent of those who engaged in sex work.

Angelino points to increased access to training for law enforcement departments to reduce victimization of any individuals who either engage in loitering or who for one reason or another live life on the streets. There are better ways to meet the goals of the bill without making communities less secure and turning a blind eye to the problem.