Sex Workers in Canada Essay

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.

From analysing my research, I disagree with the proposed amendments. According to Van der Meulen (2013) this bill is supposed to protect the sex workers, however, it is hypocritical in which it puts the sex workers at increase harm. This paradigm is associated with a paternalistic view that ignores the issues of consent and choice. I believe violence against women must never be tolerated whereas; the Bill C-36 fails to address the issues to protect women in the sex trade industry. Canada’s justice minister insists that once passed, the Conservative government’s new prostitution bill will mean safer conditions for sex workers, “the ultimate goal, however, is to end the sex trade in Canada altogether” (O’Malley, 2014). Along the same lines, Conservative Sen. Donald Plett said “of course don’t want to make life safe for prostitutes; we can’t to

As part of McGill’s Community Engagement Day, I went on a walking tour of Montréal’s historical Red Light District presented by Karen Herland, professor and specialist in the history of prostitution. Her historical analysis (personal communication, October 2, 2015) of the neighbourhood gave great insights on morality and legislation issues regarding sex work, specifically about the relationship between authorities and prostitution as well as some of the impacts that these laws and other attitudes that regulate sex work have on women. Her astute reports lead us to the following proposition: the dynamics between authorities and sex work indicates that under the guise of “morality”, the laws in place and their application did not actually oppose sex work, they rather worked to limit women’s emancipation.

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 considered as a control of taking part in sexual exercises with somebody for cash. In Canada, it is lawful to offer sexual administrations yet it is considered as a wrongdoing to purchase sexual administrations from others. When we talk about prostitution it is important to consider that which type of women is engaging in sexual activities for money. It is considered that the more than half of the women doing sex work is due to the sexual abuse during their childhood. Some of them are resulted from homelessness. Child abuse is considered as the

According to Jacqueline Barnhart in her book, “The Fair but Frail,” there is an increase of sex crimes in locations where prostitution was made legal. She also argues legalized prostitution promotes and contributes to

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.

In this book, editors Gillian Abel, Lisa Fitzgerald, Catherine Healy, and Aline Taylor recount the various ways that New Zealand decriminalized all sectors of sex work. It provides first-hand views and experiences of this policy from those involved in the sex industry, as well as people involved in developing, implementing, researching and reviewing the policies. By evaluating New Zealand’s framework of decriminalization, and by extension the Prostitution Reform Act, these editors provide a complete picture of radical legal reform in an area of current policy debate that can later be reference by policy makers and activists.

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

This article focuses on how women who engage in sex work in Canada (whether it is by choice or not), are exposed to dangerous conditions and are often times abused, because of the prostitution laws that have been imposed over time. Abrol forms comparisons between several different countries in order to discuss the outcomes that may result from the legalization and/or decriminalization of prostitution (Abrol 2014). After looking closely at the data, Abrol's research has led him to the conclusion that although there is "no simple solution to the question of sex work" (Abrol 2014) criminalizing it will not help control the issue in the long run. The criminalization of prostitution has not worked to protect sex workers but has had the exact opposite

Prostitution is one of the oldest professions throughout the ancient and modern culture. It has been around for one of the longest times. Prostitution will possibly be found where one finds evidence of life and human. By definition, prostitution is known as commercial sex. A prostitute receives payment in exchange for sexual services between another person. However, the criminalization of prostitution is necessary in most countries as there is capital gain involved, puts the environment at a greater risk of violence, and causes less protection for sex workers. Most countries including Canada have done an effective job in outlawing prostitution with new legislations. Current Canadian laws tend to respect sex workers and additionally, address their issues as well. Within my essay, facts about the Bedford V. Prostitution case along with the government’s response to the case will be addressed. Media coverage and representation of the case will be discussed along with the media coverage in relation to criminalization of prostitution amongst different viewpoints will be analyzed. A critical opinion about the current state of law in Canada in regards to criminalization of prostitution will also be addressed. Comparison between the academic articles and media will also be discussed in depth. The current laws in Canada for prostitution are fairly effective by ‘ending demand’ for sexual services in Canada as Bill C-36 was passed.

The sex industry is highly divided between those who call themselves “sex workers”, and former prostitutes who call themselves “survivors” (Glazer 340). Women should have the right to choose what they do for a living, including prostitution. The criminalization of prostitution does more harm than good when often women are left unprotected, both socially and legally, and therefore, the United States should make efforts to decriminalize and regulate prostitution instead.

Prostitution has always been a topic of contention and controversy in Canada and other counties. Due to various perspectives on how prostitution should be addressed through law, the legal status of prostitution varies from country to country. Prostitution itself has always been legal in Canada, however many activities tied to it have been strategically criminalized by prostitution laws. Canadian prostitution laws have evolved from a once small set of provisions, to a much more complex set of laws that are used to criminalize various prostitution-related activities in an attempt to reduce demand for sexual services (McLaren 1986). The evolution of Canadian prostitution laws have been overseen by numerous governments and committees who have investigated internal and external factors of prostitution to better inform prostitution laws (e.g., the Criminal Code). Sections of Criminal Code used to criminalize prostitution-related activities are a point of speculation for governments, committees and interest groups who question whether current prostitution laws are doing enough to deter problems that stem from prostitution-related activities. It has been argued that the “social and legal framework pertaining to adult prostitution does not effectively prevent and address prostitution, nor does it prevent or address harms to communities”(Lowman 2011, 42). While prostitution remains to be legal activity in Canada,