Prostitutes 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.

Additional prohibitions are placed on any advertising for sexual services which include newspapers, online, or other forms of media (Department of Justice Canada, 2014). This policy is greatly influenced by the Swedish Model argues that it is society’s responsibility to outlaw the purchase of sexual services on the understanding that ‘women are vulnerable’ and sex trade is never a choice (Cosh, 2014). Mainly, the new prohibitions will be supported by $20 million in new funding, with an emphasis on programs that can help individuals exit 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

Overall, Bill C-36 attempts to create a new legal framing for prostitution in Canada and is rooted in the belief that prostitution is inherently violent and exploitative; therefore the intent is to protect sex workers from exploitation, protect communities from the harms caused by prostitution, and reduce the demand for sexual services. The framework of Bill C-36 seeks to “denounce and prohibit the purchase of sexual services, procurement of persons for the purposes of prostitution and the development of economic interests in the prostitution of others” (Canadian Criminal Justice Association, 2014). Even though the aim of Bill C-36 is to protect victims from exploitation and/or prevent exploitative situations, it does so at the expense of the lives of those in the sex trade. Bill C-36 creates the environment for exploitation to flourish by only

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.

Due to the fairly recent changes regarding the legality of prostitution in Canada, individuals who use and provide these services have been cautious (Warnica, 2015). Unfortunately, new laws may create more problems than benefits, such as, financial problems due to fewer people buying sex because it is illegal to do so. In this paper, I will explicate and assess the new changes to the law regarding prostitution in Canada, arguing that prostitution should be legal in Canada. Prostitution laws vary all over the world. Some jurisdictions are similar to Canada whilst others are extremely different. The United Kingdom is similar to Canada, as acts related to prostitution are illegal but prostitution itself is not. In Germany, Netherlands, and New Zealand prostitution is legal and so are brothels. However, in Argentina, France, Singapore and Greece brothels are illegal put prostitution is. There is no universal agreement on how governments should legislate or regulate prostitution.

Sometimes, the term “sex work” is used, as well as “prostitution”. But whichever term we choose to say, it does not eliminate the stigma attached to it. Cases such as the Bedford V. Canada Case (144) indulges into the conspiracy of sex work and challenges certain sections of the Criminal Code that make business in relation to prostitution illegal. Ideally, a sex worker has a career just as a teacher or lawyer. For this reason, their human rights and dignity should be protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as are other professions. However, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as the Criminal Code do not seek to protect sex workers, yet, they seek to do otherwise using certain sections of the Criminal Code

In Canada it is not illegal or a crime to sell sex in exchange of cash. It is also a source of issue for the supreme court of judgment to strike down prostitution laws and make changes. Also sex workers involved in various sexual activities were against the law. The old regime of Canada contained three pillars that stated it illegal for sex workers to own brothels and work in these places. It is seen that in Canada the sex selling business is totally legal. The three pillars of the old regime were declined by the Supreme Court. And also gave positive signals that new rules will be coming in Ottawa. The new rule will also consider the risks and safety of the sex workers. From various researches it has been found that the court agrees since prostitution is legal. There is no chance for Ottawa regulate prostitution. Parliament has the authority to take legal steps about prostitution without health and safety measures of the sex workers. It is illegal for prostitutes that did business in the same place and employed receptionist or security in public society. The court mentioned that people that are doing these things are risking their

Violence, suicide and homicide are serious public health issues that affect many women globally. The World Health Organization recently sent “ a powerful message that violence against women is a global health problem of epidemic proportions (1)”. There is a growing advocacy that calls for the protection of young women who face consequences due to the exploitation of providing sexual services. Legalizing prostitution in Canada would just encourage clients to abuse sex workers even more so. By implementing a policy that would ban prostitution in Canada, the health issues of violence and homicide will diminish, protecting the basic interests of the population.

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

Prostitution is defined as “the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money,” according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (“Prostitution”). The word “prostitute” has been the term used to describe those who exchange sex for money. The commonly used term nowadays, “sex worker”, was not introduced until the 1970s. Prostitute, Scarlot Harlot, fashioned the title when she was living in San Francisco (Grant). For years upon years prostitution has been a taboo subject that many people have strong feelings towards. Judging from the outside, people view prostitution as a dirty, immoral, and damned profession. Most people do not even consider prostitution a profession. In fact, it is one of the oldest professions in the world.

However, it is only remembered as a social harm or more awful yet a social malevolence. While the demonstration of offering sex in return for cash is actually legitimate in Canada, all related exercises are criminalized. This basically implies that it is unimaginable for a sex worker to do the lawful action of offering sex, without abusing one. This treatment of prostitution as a wrongdoing is straightforwardly identified with the shame encompassing sex work, and in addition apprehensions identifying with ethical behaviour, public order, and sexually transmitted diseases (Sondhi, 2010).

Just as much of the debate surrounding the decriminalization of sex work hinges on the treatment of sex workers, so, too, does it hinge on whether those entering the industry do so of their own free will or by force. It is inaccurate to claim that sex work is never a desirable option for its practitioners, but that it is, instead, a desperate last resort. The NSWP notes that although “our media…[is] full of stories about the horrors of prostitution…with sellers perpetually at the mercy of buyers,” their data shows that only a small portion of sex workers can be described as unwilling or victimized (Benoit et al). The collected data reveals that the average age of entry into the sex industry is 24 years old, and that 71% of interviewed sex workers sold a sexual service no earlier than the age of 19 (Benoit et al). When asked why they entered the field, many sex workers the NSWP interviewed cited the financial independence and flexible schedule that come with sex work as motivating factors. One sex worker notes that her job has been empowering in that it has provided her with more freedom to focus on her studies; though prostitutes claim benefits to their work, they also mention the various costs of sex work, such as the possibility that it will “close some doors to [their] future[s]” (Benoit et al). These statements should be carefully taken into account when considering decriminalization as they were made by sex workers themselves who will be most affected by any decisions

“In the United States alone, an estimated $14 billion is generated in annualrevenue from the sex-for-sale industry. Worldwide revenue from the commercial sex trade industry is estimated at more than $100 billion each year,” says the literary criminologist R. Barri Flowers. Prostitution is described as the act of having sexual intercourse in exchange of money or basically commerce of sex. People engaged in this type of activity are called prostitutes or simply sex workers. In today’s societies man and woman can both be sex workers although woman have been predominantly and pejoratively called prostitute. However, prostitution criminalization or decriminalization has been raising debates in many societies. One may argue that outlawing sex workers takes away the liberty of adults to choose how to live their sexual lives and the right of their own body. However, if human sexuality is reduced to something temporary, material and consumable instead of precious, sacred, and wonderful then the all marriage and family structure will crumble and fall, and human being itself will be reduced to an object.