Pride 2024 - To Your Health - Supporting Survivors: Street Safe New Mexico's Mission

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"You see the word prostitute, and something allows people to say, 'Oh, just a prostitute.' People need to stop allowing that word to equal dismissal or less than," Christine Barber, one of the founders of Street Safe New Mexico, said in an award-winning short video by Julie Mowrey. Barber recalls a woman she knew who sold sex on the street in the 1990s. She shared that they "just wanted someone to pay attention." According to Barber, when someone went missing on the street, "everybody knew it, but nobody who had a voice and who would be heard by mainstream society said anything." That was how Street Safe got started.

Street Safe New Mexico is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit staffed by volunteers, and their focus is to minimize the effects associated with life on the streets, particularly for those who have experienced sex trafficking or sexual assault. One of their core strategies involves establishing a presence through weekly outreach efforts and engaging directly with individuals in need on the streets of Albuquerque. During these sessions, Street Safe New Mexico set up stations to distribute essential items like clothing, hygiene products, and other necessities, creating a safe space. Based on a survey conducted by Street Safe in 2015, in Albuquerque alone, an estimated 1,080 women engage in street-based sex work daily. Approximately 17,000 women occasionally sell sex, while 43,812 do so due to substance use. These numbers highlight the interconnected challenges of poverty, homelessness, addiction, and exploitation that many experience.

"For police, the word 'prostitute' is equivalent to 'criminal,' so all of those connotations led us to dismiss it and that when bad things happen, we don't have to care about that," Barber states in the video. "Calling someone a 'prostitute' doesn't tell you anything. What matters is their experience and the fact that they don't deserve this treatment that they get." That is why Street Safe took matters into its own hands with the "Bad Guy List," which identifies individuals who have attacked women on the streets, offering victims support options ranging from medical assistance to legal guidance. They also take preventative measures. "We got tired of seeing women on the street being beaten up, raped and murdered - the second leading cause of death. Instead, we wanted them to have a fighting chance when they get attacked, so we made them fighting tools, which we give out for free," their website says.

To sustain their work, Street Safe relies on donations. The top five most requested items for donations are secret pocket scrunchies, chocolate, underwear, feminine wipes, and anti-chafing wipes. Monetary donations can be made online through PayPal, and donors can drop off or mail in items. To learn more, visit their website at https://www.streetsafenewmexico.org/. - Samantha Nagel