Legalizing Prostitution In Canada

Canada is a nation renown as a liberal-leaning, forward nation; promoting the advancement of women in all parts of the world. However, it is a nation guilty of punishing women for the circumstances in which they find themselves with laws showing an antiquated view on the issue of prostitution—one that prosecutes sex workers instead of those who take advantage of women’s situations and buy sexual services. BY examining the origins of current-day laws concerning prostitution in Canada and looking at European legislation as well as its successes and failures made it is possible to find a middle ground that will suit Canada should it ever decide to change its laws concerning prostitution.

Canadian prostitution, the practice of exchanging money for sexual services” (Shaver, 2011) originally started in the 1800’s, and has never been an illegal act Canada. However, the dangers of the job, and safety risks these women are exposed to have always been prevalent on Canadian streets. The most common form of prostitution when the trade was established was off street prostitution. This can be defined as, “Prostitution that is issued out of escort agencies, massage parlours, private residences, brothels, bars, clubs, trick pads and bathhouses” (“Fact Sheet,” n.d.). [Correct Citation?]This industry thrived for decades with little no to police presence as the newly created transcontinental railways transported large masses of single men to the west coast. However, in 1890, new legal constrains, which were now enforced, made operating brothers a challenge and forced street prostitution to become more common, “street prostitution is a form of prostitution in which a sex worker solicits customers from a public place, most commonly a street, while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, but also other public places such as parks, benches, etc. The street prostitute is often dressed in a provocative manner.” (Shaver, 2011). When the number of women working the streets increased, the safety level decreased. In order to expand one’s knowledge on the dangers of female street prostitution, one must fully comprehend the differences between the two forms of

Prostitution is defined as “business of exchanging sexual services for martial compensation or financial befits” (Weitzer, R. J, p8). The practice usually happens legally in modern cites like Vegas, Berlin and

In Canadian law, buying or selling sexual services within Canada is considered legal. However, this controversial topic has raised discussions between people because of the possibilities of illegal activities inside the world of prostitution. From reading the newspapers to hearing it on the television, we know nothing good ever comes out of prostitution because of the exposure to the risky businesses and dangerous people. Prostitutes engages in a number of dangerous harmful activities such as taking drugs, rape, emotional and physical abuse, and the worst case scenario is death. In this thesis paper, I’ll be discussing the main points and arguments as to why prostitution should have been illegal to begin with and why Canada should

Decreasing violence and promoting safety is one of the many positive outcomes from legalizing prostitution. Engaging in conversation about the purchase of sex is illegal in Canada. Because of this, Meaghan (2002) argues that prostitutes are forced to work in unsafe locations away from police surveillance, rushing negotiations and not being able to make an safe decision about their client. Seals (2015), found prostitutes are fearful of legal recourse when they are victimized. Legalization would give prostitutes the same protection as the general public and would be able to press charges accordingly. Providing a registered place of business for licensing also limits instances of violence. Seib, C., Dunne, M. P., Fischer, J., & Najman, J. M. (2010), found that prostitutes who worked in regulated brothels were healthier and safer than prostitutes who worked in non-regulated brothels or on the streets. “Elaborate safety measures (panic buttons, listening devices, and management surveillance) allow managers to respond to unruly or violent customers quickly and effectively” (Weitzer, 2006, p. 35). This also would help limit the chance of Human sex trafficking as businesses would be consistently checked and positive relationships with law enforcement would be made.

First, I will discuss what aspects of the law have been changed in Canada and what this means for prostitutes and their clients. I will then further discuss the points that adults can consent to sex and that the government has no right to completely ban consensual sex involving financial transactions between adults. In addition, individuals should be free to do what they want in regard to their own bodies and should be able to decide with whom they want to

Though widely accepted throughout the course of human history, the approval of prostitution in today modern society seems to be a much more grey area. While once legal in every major civilization on earth, prostitution is now illegal in many countries, though sometimes tolerated for the revenue it generates. This cold shoulder toward prostitution began in the Middle Ages, when church officials began to preach of the sins associated with the profession. Their cries, however, fell on mostly deaf ears. Prostitution had become such a large contributor of public revenue in so many countries, that is was protected and regulated by law. In the centuries to come, however, things began to change. With the rise of stringent sexual morality standards associated with the Protestant Reformation, the increased transmission and awareness of sexually transmitted diseases and the implementation of such social movements as feminism, prostitution began to fall out of favor, eventually becoming illegal in many parts of the world. (Jenkins).

Prostitutes exist in our society and are destined to remain the profession exists on every continent per diverse societal and politically aware prominences. A prostitute is an individual which offers sexual favors in exchange for money, prostitutes are typically thought of as women; however, men also has a place in prostitution and it’s in high demand. In the profession of prostitution there are no taxes to be paid, or retirement funds to collect, yet, prostitution is not unlawful in Canada. The young generation in Canada looks at this as a possible “career opportunities,” which puts the title of “prostitutes” in an unclear locus in relations to being a profession or a career. It is lawful to vend sexual favors, but it is unlawful to buy these

Justice Minister Peter MacKay gave a brief oration on prostitution in a public consultation saying that the conservative governments will bring new justice system in place and will establish a new bill about prostitution. He also said that his new government will not have difficulty to establish this new law in the legislation. It is also quite difficult to satisfy voters and judge of the Supreme Court. There is only two choices that are available the Nordic vs the Dutch model. It is seen that the government of Canada is favoring Canadian law and the Supreme Court is slacking without an agreement. According to the Nordic law that is regulated in Sweden and various other parts of European countries it is stated that prostitution is a crime.

Canada is seen as a renowned country that is liberal-leaning and an evolving nation, that promotes the progression and development of women all over the world. However, this is not the case under every circumstance; because as a government and society they are guilty of punishing those that are involved with prostitution. The laws that are in place (i.e. Bill C-36), show an antiquated view on the ideology/issue of prostitution; which is one that not only prosecutes sex workers but also affects their means of creating a stable income, as well as affecting their personal safety by forcing them to conduct their business in dangerous environments in order to prevent themselves from being charged/arrested. If the Canadian Government were to assess the various countries that have legalized prostitution, and examine the successes and failures presented by those legislations; then they could successfully create a realistic law concerning prostitution that meets a middle ground for both parties. Although prostitution may technically be “legal”, the acts that surround the issue are still considered to be illegal, such as: the advertisement of sexual services, purchasing said sexual services, financially benefit from the money received from said activities, and etc. The legalization of prostitution within Canada is not a newfound issue, and has always been a controversial issue. Therefore, within this essay I will be providing a summary of the “Attorney General of Canada vs. Bedford”

The legalization of prostitution has been a compelling two sided argument for many years. When morals and reasoning combine, it is often hard to come to one solution. Prostitution is considered to be a serious issue in countries around the world. The amount of prostitution has been increasing tremendously every year and it seems to be getting more serious than the past centuries. The government has legalized prostitution in a few countries and people are wondering if this will become an all over the world thing. There are two very different views to legalizing prostitution that I would like to explore.

Bedford vs. Canada resulted with parliament having to reform Canada’s prostitution laws, these changes raised question on the communities within Canada and if they have respect of law and have the tolerance of prostitution (Morton 229 2012 ). Prostitution is technically legal in Canada, although technically legal, the laws surrounding prostitution make it very difficult to conduct prostitution legally (Morton pp 229 2012). Because it is against the law to advertise in the streets, make a living off prostitution, or be in or involved with a bawdyhouse most exchanges must be done in near secret conditions leaving the individuals susceptible to victimization. There are many problems associated with prostitution so in attempts to make it a safer environment for them, a law reform has been in discussion, but how

support services must be put into place to give women a choice. Canada’s prostitution laws must be altered with the following policies:

Prostitution is defined as the act of “providing or receiving sexual acts, between a prostitute and a client, in exchange for money or some other form of remuneration” (Hock 557). The idea of exchanging sex for valuables has been around since the beginning of human society. The first reported data about prostitution was reported around 3000 B.C.E in one of the first known civilizations, Mesopotamia (Caraboi and Fierbinteanu 362). It is often referred to as “the world’s oldest profession.” Today, even though prostitution is illegal in most parts of the world, it is still prevalent worldwide with different ways to exchange sexual services for payment and many different types of prostitutes. One of these types of prostitutes are brothel workers; brothel workers work in “a house of prostitution,” a brothel, which are normally in areas where prostitution is not criminalized or is legalized (Hock 560). Like prostitution, human trafficking has been around for thousands of years and is still present today.

Prostitution has frequently been touted as the world's oldest profession, for the simple fact that it has been prevalent in society for quite some time. In order to properly discuss the many social ramifications of this particular crime and possible ways for dealing with them, it is first necessary to define prostitution and to explore the reason why it is a crime. Prostitution is the exchange of money or monetary assets for sexual favors and pleasure. It is the paying for sex in all of its myriad facets, from conventional coitus to a number of lewd and arcane acts from which people derive pleasure. Prostitution is part of the sex industry, which includes legal business such as strip clubs (Weitzer 7). There are a couple of different reasons as to why exchanging money for sex is deemed illegal. One principle reason is that if it were legalized, it would be exceedingly difficult for the government to tax and to capitalize off it, which is one of the reasons in which marijuana is widely considered illegal. More importantly, however, prostitution is illegal because it promotes the objectification of women and their bodies, and inherently reduces the degree of parity between men and women in which the latter are viewed as things simply for the fulfillment of men's sexual desires. Additionally, there are a variety of noxious activities that accompany prostitution such as trafficking in which the will of another is subjected to someone else's.