All articles tagged Sex Work | Tags | Illinois Public Media

Esmeralda, a local sex worker, at her home on Monday in St. Louis. St. Louis Public Radio has chosen to not use her legal name because of safety concerns surrounding her work. — Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio

September 08, 2022

Missouri sex workers organize to protect access to abortions in IL

A coalition of Missouri sex workers are starting an abortion fund to help sex workers pay for the costs of abortion in Illinois.

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Jenn Glaser says she had a difficult time accepting she was a victim after struggling with addiction and becoming trapped in human trafficking. — Maddie McGarvey/Side Effects Public Media

May 30, 2018

How One Woman Escaped Sex Trafficking And Overcame Her Opioid Addiction

We’ve all heard the traumatic stories from our country’s opioid epidemic. They’re tales of addiction, rock bottom and recovery. But for women, opioid addiction leads many into sex trafficking to pay for drugs.

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Julia Gilliam is a coordinator at the women's residential treatment program at Mary Haven. — Esther Honig/Side Effects Public Media

February 01, 2018

For Sex Workers Struggling With Addiction, A Safe Path To Recovery Can Be Hard To Find

For some women addicted to opioids, selling sex to buy drugs can go become a dangerous way of life. When they want to seek help, treatment options are not always available quickly enough to provide them a safe path to recovery.

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Sister Nadine of the Sisters devotion embraces one of the many women she helps in the Hilltop area of Columbus,Ohio. — Seth Herald/for Side Effects Public Media

January 11, 2018

How Heroin Traps Women In A Cycle of Sex Work And Addiction

Addiction to heroin can trap women in a life of sex work and often leave them at risk of exploitation by human traffickers. One national hotline has tracked thousands of calls in the last three years from victims of human trafficking who report struggling with opioid addiction.

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