Our Partners and Allies

Addressing the systemic issue of prostitution requires a multifaceted and collaborative approach because it is intertwined with a number of complex factors. No single agency or organization can effectively solve the problem alone, so cooperation among stakeholders is essential. However, survivors and allies working together in a grassroots movement is a model that prioritizes the leadership and lived experiences of survivors to drive change. This approach contrasts with traditional “top down” methods where non-survivors or large NGO’s make decisions with limited survivor input. A bottom-up movement distributes power, includes a range of perspectives and fosters more meaningful engagement and effective advocacy. 

The fundamental principle of a survivor, bottom-up movement, is to dismantle existing power imbalances within activist spaces. For allies, this means consciously stepping back to elevate and amplify survivor leadership. Allies can provide resources and support to those most impacted who have the greatest insight into needed solutions. We need to work together to shift power dynamics and prioritize survivor-led initiatives and integrate survivor-focused insight at all levels and in all stages of programming and policy efforts. 

Survivors should not be just passive sources of information but active agents, and involved in all aspects of designing, developing and evaluating programs, polices and initiatives. 

One of the ethical challenges for allies who do programming is overcoming the savior complex, not to fall into the mindset of rescuing individuals, which is ultimately disempowering and undermines the bottom-up nature of the movement.

Allies need to have a nuanced understanding of when to yield their power for the benefit of the movement and when to yield their power to allow survivors to lead.

Our Partners