MINA MALIK ANNOUNCES SURVIVOR’S JUSTICE POLICY TO ENSURE THE PROTECTION OF THE SURVIVORS OF THE SEX TRADE INDUSTRY

Queens District Attorney Candidate Mina Malik

Malik will not prosecute sex workers; instead her efforts will be exclusively focused on prosecuting the buyers and promoters who facilitate the trafficking of the most vulnerable in our community

Queens, NY – Mina Malik recently announced that as the Queens District Attorney, she will not prosecute sex workers. Instead, with the full force of the Office, Malik will pursue the prosecution of promoters and buyers, also known as pimps and johns, who are trafficking the most vulnerable among us, specifically targeting cases deemed to be coercive and predatory as a part of her Survivor’s Justice Policy.

As a former Queens Assistant District Attorney and Special Victims prosecutor for nearly a decade, Malik successfully prosecuted human traffickers, serial rapists, child molesters and violent, repeat offenders.

“It is important to understand that not all sex work is voluntary,” said Malik.

“Further, prosecuting sex workers has discriminatorily and disproportionately targeted communities of color, the LGBTQ community and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. As a reform-minded District Attorney, I will prosecute buyers and promoters – not sex workers – for the oftentimes forced participation in an exploitative industry." 

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, New York has the 5th highest number of trafficked individuals in the entire country. The majority of these victims are immigrants. Given that Queens is the most diverse county in our nation, if not the world, with residents from over 190 countries, Queens is a uniquely vulnerable target for trafficking.

As part of her Survivor’s Justice Policy, Malik will: 

• Avoid Retraumatizing Survivors
• Expediting court proceedings where survivors encounter offenders;
• Not prosecuting those who are the true survivors. 
• Facilitate Their Future Success 
• Partner with community organizations to develop individualized healing plans for survivors of sex crimes;
• Seek diversion and trauma-informed care for individuals who are suffering from the mental, psychological and physical abuse because of forced sex work.

Malik’s work on this important issue spans multiple decades. As an Assistant District Attorney, Malik was the first in the state to indict under the 2007 Sex Trafficking statute. Her success paved the way for countless victims to find safety and security and begin the process of healing.

As District Attorney, Malik will:

• Increase and improve the number of co-located services for survivors within the District Attorney's Office, including multi-lingual social workers, sexual assault counselors and attorneys;
• Implement a hiring policy that requires a commitment to addressing victims, survivors, witnesses and defenders by their preferred pronoun and implementing a no tolerance policy for violating this policy;
• Enforce employee commitment to rehabilitation of those who interact with the criminal justice system, ie: eliminating the negative connotation of “victim” and encouraging people to identify as survivors;
• Welcome sex workers, advocates, and experts to the table when discussing nuances between voluntary and involuntary sex work on a case-by-case basis.

Said Malik: “While working as a special victims prosecutor, I worked with countless people who were survivors of sexual abuse and assault. I am adamantly committed to ensuring that the Queens District Attorney’s Office protects survivors, plays an active role in their healing, and prioritizes not retraumatizing them.”