Legislation to restrict sex work results in increasingly unsafe working conditions and poorer health outcomes for sex workers, clientele and community. These are often seen in an upstream and downstream analysis of the health pathways for sex worker and those otherwise involved in sex work. Current Canadian policies focus less on the criminalization of sex worker as an individual but aim on criminalizing the “purchase” of sex thereby directly targeting prospective and ongoing clients of sex work, this is referred to as the Nordic Model. This perpetuates cycles of isolation and abuse often experienced by sex workers who are engaged in street or survival sex work as described in Krüsi, et al.’s (2014) article focusing on the criminalization of …show more content…
This will result in better relationships between sex workers and the public over time and ultimately, the decriminalization of sex work will reduce barriers of access to social supports and services should those engaged in sex work, whether as worker or client, require support in forms such as legal involvement, medical care, financial support, etc. Increasing the legal infrastructure for sex workers based on their expressed needs and desires is the first step in creating a remotely comprehensive upstream approach to the issue of harmful health outcomes of sex …show more content…
Providing accessible or reducing barriers to food, housing and health security and increasing opportunities for sex workers wanting to stay or leave sex work with recognition that both are viable and valid options. Finally, there are many options other than full decriminalization of sex work to support the rights and safety of sex workers, clientele and community. However “WHO, UNAIDS, UNDP and UNFPA calling for full decriminalisation of sex work as necessary to promot[e] the health and human rights of sex workers” (Krüsi, et al., p2), the accounts of from Nordic Models studies (which promote the criminalization of the buyer, a model Canada follows) and the “studies conducted in New Zealand after decriminalization conclud[ing] that sex workers have better working conditions” (Mgbako, et al. p.15) and health outcomes after full decriminalization really should be evidence enough that policy on sex work readily promotes positive health outcomes when sex workers, sex work and clientele are fully decriminalized. The decriminalization is not
Throughout Sex Work and the Law: A Critical Analysis of Four Policy Approaches to Adult Prostitution Frances Shaver discusses the need for change for women working as prostitutes. Shaver explains the ongoing problem surrounding prostitution in Canada and provides four possible ways to resolve the issue in her work. Three well thought out points Shaver writes about are the health benefits as well as personal safety for the women in the sex industry. She also touches base on the decriminalization of prostitution and the impacts it will have on nearby neighborhoods and the residents as well as a few other topics. Although Shaver discusses important areas, she does leave out some particular parts for concern such as the issues surrounding minors involved in the sex industry as well as the men and women who are involuntarily put into prostitution also known as human trafficking. While Shaver touches base on extremely well thought out points and provides a solution for dealing with Canada’s prostitution problem, she fails to elaborate on a few major issues that should be discussed as well when discussing the decriminalization of prostitution.
Kelly’s article has raised valid points regarding safety to the prostitute within a brothel, but there is so much evidence that proves the ill effects of this experiment in other countries that the evidence cannot be ignored. Although, parts of the sex trade industry may initially see positive results for some of the workers, the majority would end up worse off than before. Due to the illegal nature of this industry and the control exuded by the pimp, the physical and psychological risk to the prostitute, the highly addictive nature of sex, and the organized crime behind the scenes orchestrating and controlling ever aspect of the industry, it is clear that decriminalizing prostitution would result in significant negative affects on society, prostitutes and those with sexual addictions.
“There is no difference in work in which a women sells her hands, such as a typist, and a work in which a women sells her vagina, as in sex work.” Claims author Lacy Sloan. In today’s society, many people believe that prostitution is an immoral act. It is the world’s oldest profession and because it has been long condemned, sex workers are stigmatized from mainstream society (ProQuest Staff). However, the act of purchasing sex between consenting adults should not be prohibited by the government, but regulated for society's overall best interests. Prostitution is illegal and as a consequence prostitutes are often victims of violence and sexual assault; therefore, prostitution should be legalized and regulated to ensure the safety of sex workers.
CTV News shared breaking news on October, 23, 2013 that four Romanian women were found being victimized to human trafficking in Montreal. These women were lured to Canada hoping that they would find a better future but instead were forced into prostitution (2013). Human trafficking is an issue that is rarely acknowledged by Canadians. Most people are either unaware of the problem or do not recognize it as something that is happening in their own backyard. Although Canadians are exposed to the severity of human trafficking in other countries, Canadian citizens are unaware of the fact that Canada is not only a transit point for the United States but also a destination country. Information from the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre states “The RCMP estimates that 600-800 persons are trafficked into Canada annually, predominantly for sexual purposes, also additional 1,500-2,200 people are trafficked through Canada and into the United states” (2010). Canada is a source of transit and destination for human trafficking, some of the victims being as young as twelve years old (Human trafficking, 2010). The definition of what human trafficking is focusing on who the victims are and who the traffickers, the increase in trafficking due to globalization, and the role Canada plays in preventing it will all be explained further.
Human trafficking is “Modern Day Slavery,” in Canada today. From April 2007 to December 2013, there were 50 cases where human traffickers were found guilty, and from those cases, 97 people were convicted of human trafficking offenses. The Ontario Women’s Justice Network (OWJN) defines human trafficking as the recruitment and control of individuals that are exploited and taken advantage of against their will, (OWJN, p. 1- 2). There are various forms of human trafficking in Canada and the victims are vulnerable in all classes, genders, ages, and industries, but research needs to improve to validate concrete statistics. However, there are many Canadian sex workers that do object to the regulation of their chosen profession of prostitution
In 2007, three prostitutes, Terri-Jean Bedford, Amy Lebovitch, and Valerie Scott came to the Canadian government to challenge the current prostitution laws after pending charges were laid against them for illegal acts prostitution (Chez Stella, 2013). The Bedford Case has opened up a debate on whether prostitution should be decriminalized in Canada. Through my research, I offer a comparative analysis of four approaches to prostitution, which aid in illustrating the effects that decriminalization would have on prostitutes, and women as a whole. The four states that I have compared are Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Australia. These countries each hold different views and policies on prostitution. Canada is currently criminalized, the Netherlands is a state in which prostitution is legalized, Sweden advocates abolitionism, and in Australia, prostitution is decriminalized. Through careful analysis I have determined the effectiveness of each of the policies, and which system I believe would be best for Canada’s future. Based on this investigation, I advocate that Canada ought to adapt a similar approach to Australia, decriminalizing prostitution as a means for social, economic, and legal stability for women. It is through decriminalization that prostitutes will have the opportunity to be actively involved in the community, and no longer marginalized members of society.
Prostitution in Canada has had a long history. Prostitution is the exchange of money in return for sexual favors. The most commonly thought of form of prostitution is street-based but this makes up a portion of the trade. Other forms include escort services and brothels, to name a few. Prostitution has been legal in Canada for hundreds of years, as Canada inherited their laws from England, but there have been several laws aimed at preventing it. These laws include prohibitions on brothels, communication in public for the purpose of prostitution, and making a living off of prostitution. Therefore, while prostitution itself is not illegal, it is very difficult to engage in it without breaking the law. This leads to a lot of misunderstanding, as many men are not aware that these various laws exist, only knowing that prostitution itself is legal. In support of this, Wortley, Fischer, and Webster (2002) found that 17% of Ontario men who had been arrested under the communication or solicitation law in Ontario were apparently unaware that it was illegal to talk to a prostitute about buying sex (Morton 2012).
Caroline Stevermer, an American novelist, once wrote, “How dreadful… to be caught up in a game and have no idea of the rules.” Indeed, the quest for eternal prosperity bares an ancient path that allures pursuers into a deep state of oblivion. As one follows this trail, their vision of reality soon becomes blurred by their dreams of triumph. Ultimately, this enduring road guides an innocent pursuer onto the board of another’s game to become their lifeless pawn. Prostitution is this game. This immoral act involves the exchange of sexual services for financial gain. In Canada, the act of prostitution has never been a crime, but the government has combated this atrocity through criminalizing all activities surrounding the transaction. However,
I chose this research project because it appealed to me. I wanted to know how criminalization’s of sex work or prostitutions were causing structural violence in society. This presentation itself proved to be interesting in the sense that it goes against what my friends and I were thinking. I always thought that criminalizing sex work was a beneficiary for the society because that would stop the flow of HIV as well as other STI’s between sex worker populations. I never realized that it had the opposite the effect, and instead of being a beneficiary, it caused high-risk environments as well as even more ease to find a sex worker. At first, I thought that this research project was going to be about how the “Criminalization of Sex Work” was going to be about how Sex workers stopped working due to the criminalization, however as I came across it, it was the complete opposite and that grabbed my attention and made me curious, and now I completely understand why it was viewed as structural violence. The focus of this research project was to demonstrate to us that the policing of sex work do...
Opponents argue that, prostitution has health effects and that is the reason as to why it remains illegal in most parts of the United States. Prostitution has social economic, physical, and a number of mental implications. The prostitutes and their clients are subject to a nu...
Rights and protections for sex workers includes a variety of goals being pursued by individuals and organizations surrounding the human and labor rights of sex workers. The goals of these policies generally aim to allow sex work and ensure decent treatment from legal and cultural forces on a local and international level for everyone involved in sex work. Sex workers refers to prostitutes, adult video performers, dancers in strip clubs, and others who provide sexually-related services. The back and forth argument over sex work is characterized as an women’s rights issue, especially by those who argue that prostitution is naturally unjust, but there are also males and gender non-binary individuals involved in offering sexual services. The
Prostitution is the occupational service where sexual acts are exchanged for payment. Opinions of prostitution have changed drastically over the course of half a century, and are being debated worldwide. Prostitution is a very controversial topic, however there are claims that legalizing prostitution could create an overall safer environment, not only for the sex workers but the rest of society. There has been many alterations in prostitution laws and enforcement practices in several countries. Many nations have created new laws or intensified existing penalties for prostitution-related offences such as soliciting sex, purchasing sex, or pimping. Some other societies are experimenting with policies that securitize prostitution.The claims proposing these regulations are important because they are directly opposed to both the conventional benefits of prostitution and the specific allegations of anti-prostitution crusaders. In Canada and the UK, the exchange of sex for money is not illegal. However, the activities that go along with prostitution are criminal offences.“In March 2012, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a ban on establishments for the purposes of prostitution, which effectively makes street prostitution illegal. In the US, most jurisdictions, prostitution, solicitation, or agreeing to engage in an act of prostitution are classified as illegal. With the exception of licensed brothels in certain areas in Nevada. In the Netherlands,prostitution was legalized in the mid-1800s but it wasn’t until recently, the 1980s sex work became a legal profession. Restrictions on brothels and pimping were lifted in October 2000 and the industry is now securitized by labour law. Prostitutes are registered as legal workers....
Prostitution is highly controversial, many claiming that the legalization would lead to more prostitution, which would therefore be a larger disgrace to society. Furthermore, an essay written by Janice G. Raymond, titled “Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution.” This essay brings down ten legitimate reasons as to why prostitution should not be legalized, citing failed attempts in Australia and the Netherlands. The immoralities of these laws shine when, upon closer examination, the laws regard the prostitutes as mere sexual objects for profit to benefit the economy. However, as these faults are recognized, places like Amsterdam begin to alter their laws regarding prostitutions, making them more strict in an attempt to make prostitution safer. Still, organized and regulated legalized prostitution could lead to world reform in the sex trade.
By criminalizing prostitution will force the workers to make the job an underground operation. Which in turn will make it harder for these “working women and men” to receive appropriate aid, leaving them in the shadows of uncertainty and potentially abuse.
Wolffers, Ivan. “Public Health and Human Rights of Sex Workers”. The Lancet 361.9373 (2003): n.pag. Web. 27 November 2011.