Please Call New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver at 518-455-3791 TODAY and urge him to bring AO2736 to the floor for a vote! The legislative session ends TOMORROW, June 20th!

Read the testimony here

• call on your Council Member to become a bill sponsor support state legislation that would to protect the health and safety of all New Yorkers, including victims of trafficking, by banning the use of condoms as evidence of any prostitution-related offense across New York State;
• call on the NYPD to stop taking condoms out of the hands of New Yorkers and using them to justify arrests!

• call on your Council Member to support state legislation that would to protect the health and safety of all New Yorkers, including victims of trafficking, by banning the use of condoms as evidence of any prostitution-related offense across New York State;
• call on the NYPD to stop taking condoms out of the hands of New Yorkers and using them to justify arrests;
•  Click here for the notice of hearing!

District Attorneys and Elected Officials Unite with Advocacy Organizations to Address Public Health Crisis

For more information, please contact:

Andrea Ritchie, Streetwise and Safe (646) 831-1243

Emma Caterine, Red Umbrella Project (757) 303-1404

What: A press conference and rally calling for an end to the confiscation and introduction of condoms as evidence of prostitution-related offenses

When: June 6, 2013 at 11:00 AM EST

Where: Steps of New York City Hall

Who:

Background: Legislation that would prohibit police from confiscating and prosecutors from introducing possession of condoms as evidence of intent to engage in prostitution-related offenses is currently pending before the New York State legislature (AB2736/SB1379) (Clark/Montgomery), and a resolution in support of the state bills is now before the City Council (Res. 0710-2011) (Lappin).  Last year Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, who will assume leadership of the District Attorneys Association of New York State next month, became the first to issue a policy that her office would no longer introduce possession of condoms as evidence in any prostitution-related cases, including sex trafficking cases. Recently, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes instructed the New York City Police Department to stop collecting condoms as evidence in prostitution cases. Anti-trafficking advocates, civil and human rights groups, LGBT organizations, immigrants’ rights groups and advocates for the rights of individuals in the sex trades are calling on the NYPD to comply with DA Hynes’ request, and on city and state lawmakers to pass legislation to ensure that all New Yorkers can protect themselves by carrying condoms.

Members of Make the Road NY hold up signs at the 2013 Lobby Day for the No Condoms as Evidence bill. Photo by redupnyc.

Check out the latest coverage of the lobby day here!

Join us for a lobby day in Albany April 23, 2013 to advocate for an end to this practice!

See our Memos of Support for this legislation.

Check out another recent New York Times editorial in support of this legislation. For more press coverage, click here.

The President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS recently passed a resolution urging an end to the use of condoms as a basis of criminal prosecution or sentence enhancement.

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice shows leadership in taking a position that attorneys in her office will not seek to introduce condoms as evidence of any prostitution-related offense!

On Thursday, July 19th, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH released a report entitled “Sex Workers at Risk: Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in Four US Cities,” about the harms caused by this practice in 4 major U.S. cities. The report reveals that efforts to take condoms in multiple U.S. cities negatively impact the health of sex workers and transgender women, and furthermore undermine public health campaigns for HIV prevention. Read more about the HRW report here.

On Tuesday, July 17th, OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS released a report entitled “Criminalizing Condoms,” about the use of condoms as a means to target sex workers in six different countries. This report reveals that the “treatment of condoms as contraband forces sex workers to make a choice between safeguarding their health and staying safe from police harassment or arrest” by documenting law enforcement practices and the resulting harms for sex workers in Kenya, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, the United States and Zimbabwe. Read more about the OSF report here.

On Tuesday, April 17th, as part of lobbying efforts, New York advocates released a brand new report summarizing the results of two studies documenting the impacts of police confiscating and prosecutors introducing condoms as evidence of intent to engage in prostitution! The report, Public Health Crisis: The Impact of Using Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in New York City, was co-authored by members of the PROS Network, a coalition of organizations providing services and resources to people who are or are perceived to be involved in the sex trades.

This New York City-based research revealed that:

• Close to half of people surveyed had had condoms taken away from them by a police officer;
• Close to half of people surveyed had at some point NOT carried condoms for fear of police harassment or arrest.

The practice of confiscating and using condoms as evidence of intent to engage in prostitution is undermining New York City and New York State public health intiatives handing out millions of free condoms every year to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, STIs, and unwanted pregnancies.

Check out the latest coverage of the press conference and lobby day here!

On Tuesday, April 17th advocates representing a broad coalition of public health and reproductive rights advocates, civil and human rights organizations, LGBT groups, and sex workers’ rights organizers met with dozens of legislators to ask for their support in moving SB323/A1008 to a vote this spring!

Advocates also released a brand new report summarizing the results of two studies documenting the impacts of police confiscating and prosecutors introducing condoms as evidence of intent to engage in prostitution! The report, Public Health Crisis: The Impact of Using Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in New York City, was co-authored by members of the PROS Network, a coalition of organizations providing services and resources to people who are or are perceived to be involved in the sex trades.

Join us in demanding passage of legislation that would end the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution-related offenses!

http://www.lambdalegal.org/news/ny_20120405_condoms-as-evidence

http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2012/04/05/lambda-legal-wants-senate-to-reconsider-prostitution-evidence-bill/

http://outqnews.com/2012/04/06/ny-bill-would-end-condoms-as-proof-of-prostitution/