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March 4, 2022

Open Letter to John Oliver: Stand with Sex Trade Survivors, Not Pimps and Sex Buyers

We, the undersigned are survivors of the sex trade, come from all walks of life, races, religions,
ethnic groups, from heterosexual and LGBTQ+ communities.
What binds us is that, collectively, we have been bought, sold, and exploited on the streets and in
escorting in fancy hotels, in legal strip clubs and illicit “massage parlors,” in our homes and on
“sugar dates,” and everywhere in between. Collectively, we have experienced hundreds of rapes,
burns, beatings, chokings, and myriad forms of abuse at the hands of sex buyers and our
exploiters, causing long-term physical and psychological harm.
We are collectively shocked and disgusted that you, Mr. Oliver, decided to celebrate and glorify
the sex trade on your show, Last Week Tonight, aired on HBO on February 27, 2022. Despite
your reputation for producing thoroughly researched segments, this 25-minute report relied
exclusively on information given to you by lobbyists who promote the decriminalization of the
sex trade. Where was the discussion of the harms inflicted by sex buyers on women and others
they purchase? Where was the analysis of the well-documented methods used by both
international and domestic traffickers or the court cases that expose the sex trade as an orgundersigned are survivors of the sex trade, come from all walks of life, races, religions,
ethnic groups, from heterosexual and LGBTQ+ communities.
What binds us is that, collectively, we have been bought, sold, and exploited on the streets and in
escorting in fancy hotels, in legal strip clubs and illicit “massage parlors,” in our homes and on
“sugar dates,” and everywhere in between. Collectively, we have experienced hundreds of rapes,
burns, beatings, chokings, and myriad forms of abuse at the hands of sex buyers and our
exploiters, causing long-term physical and psychological harm.
We are collectively shocked and disgusted that you, Mr. Oliver, decided to celebrate and glorify
the sex trade on your show, Last Week Tonight, aired on HBO on February 27, 2022. Despite
your reputation for producing thoroughly researched segments, this 25-minute report relied
exclusively on information given to you by lobbyists who promote the decriminalization of the
sex trade. Where was the discussion of the harms inflicted by sex buyers on women and others
they purchase?

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