Opinion: Dangerous occupation, easy target

'Serial killer" and "prostitute" are sensational words in the headlines these days, now that the four women whose bodies were discovered at Gilgo Beach have been identified as sex workers. The police suspect the murders to be the work of a serial killer, especially as the victims were around the same age, race, size and gender, and, perhaps most saliently to the police and media, all of them worked in the sex industry.

From Jack the Ripper to Jeffrey Dahmer, murderers have targeted sex workers for heinous violent crimes. It's time to raise awareness about the daily risks of violence that these workers face, and about the protections that are unavailable to them. Simply put, we need to ask ourselves why it takes such tragic events to make us care.

With a killer potentially on the loose, Suffolk County law enforcement officials are now calling upon sex workers to come forward and report information. But there are real barriers to their doing so.

In one 2003 study, the Sex Worker Project at the Urban Justice Center interviewed 30 street-based sex workers in New York City; 24 had experienced or been threatened with violence while working, but most of them were hesitant to report crimes to the police. Because prostitution is a crime, these victims are afraid of being arrested themselves.

Many in our study reported attempting to get police attention and being told they had gotten what they deserved. Perhaps even more disturbing, nine of the sex workers we interviewed said they'd been victimized by the police themselves, including one who claimed to have been assaulted by three undercover officers and ended up in the hospital. A 2002 Chicago study by the Center for Impact Research found that 24 percent of street-based sex workers who had been raped identified a police officer as the perpetrator.

This lack of protection creates a culture where sex workers are seen as acceptable targets for violence, a message not lost on violent predators. When Gary Ridgway, known as Washington state's "Green River Killer," said, "I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught," he wasn't far from reality. He is believed to have murdered more than 60 women from the 1970s to the 1990s before he was finally arrested.

To stop the Gilgo Beach serial killer, we need to listen to the real experts: current and former sex workers. To confront violence, sex workers have a wealth of practical strategies for staying safe: screening clients they meet online, asking for references, working in numbers, telling friends where they are, and choosing where and how they work. We should find out what other rights and protections sex workers need to have control over their working conditions, as well as eliminate barriers to leaving sex work and finding other employment.

We also need to create an environment where all people feel safe to report crimes. One participant in our study reported a positive experience with the police: The officer was not judgmental and made it clear she was not under investigation herself. This worker went on to recruit other victims to testify, resulting in a long-term violent perpetrator being convicted and sentenced. We should replicate this good example, recognizing that sex workers are disproportionately targeted, and hold law enforcement accountable for protecting all members of our community.

We also need to look critically at our criminal justice system, which is more likely to punish sex workers than those who victimize them. We need to use language that opens up the discussion, instead of language that's disparaging or blames the victims of crime.

Some speculate that prostitutes are easy to kill because they are rarely missed, but the four women whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach refute that assumption. They are mourned by family and friends who looked for them desperately before learning the devastating news. Let's send a message loud and clear: Sex workers are mothers, sisters, daughters and sons - and we as a society cannot accept violence against them.