http://worklabournewsresearch.tumblr.com/
“Sex workers are average Canadians. They’re Caucasian, in their 30s and 40s, and have education and training outside of high school. Most of them don’t feel exploited, they don’t see buyers as oppressors,” the study’s lead author Cecilia Benoit, a researcher at the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, told Maclean’s. “They’re not weird, unusual people. They are people trying to do the best they can with the tools they have to live their lives.”
"The five-year study began in 2011 and is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Researchers interviewed 218 sex workers, 1,252 clients, 30 spouses or intimate partners of sex workers, 61 managers of escort or massage businesses, and 80 law enforcement officials. The interviewees were from six cities: St. John’s, N.L., Montreal, Kitchener, Ont., Fort McMurray, Alta., and Victoria."
http://www.understandingsexwork.com/
http://www.understandingsexwork.com/sites/default/files/uploads/BillC36brief.pdf
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/pivotlegal/pages/660/attachments/original/1404320254/C36_Info_Sheet.pdf?1404320254
http://www.johnsvoice.ca/
RESEARCH
PURCHASING
People purchase sex for a range of reasons including: adventure, loneliness, sexual
insecurity, companionship, and sex/gender exploration
purchasers of sex are stigmatized by their association with the sex
industry and often labeled as either immoral, sexually perverted, or as women-haters
Purchasers of sex are often looking for someone to fulfill a confidant or counsellig role in their lives.
men do not want to feel as though they are coercing potentially sexually exploited
youth, trafficked and/or drug-addicted people into having sex
Little is known, about the women or transgendered/transsexual people who purchase sex
SELLING
the stereotyping of sex workers that goes on in the popular media and among people with little firsthand experience of sex work can have a profound impact on the health, safety, and security of sex workers, as well as their friends and families, those who pay for their services, and those who play a managerial role in the sex industry.
sex workers are adults who earn at least part of their income through the sale of direct sexual contact.
the term sex worker emphasizes the work relations of the individuals involved. As such, they should be entitled to the same rights and responsibility as all other workers in Canada, including fair and equal treatment by managers and clients, health and safety at work, employment benefits, and legal protections. The term sex worker also encourages us to envision individuals engaged in this kind of economic activity as complex people whose worker status is just one aspect of their self-identity.
There are no accurate estimates of the gender breakdown of sex workers.
in Canada, Australia, and the UK the majority of sex work takes place in private venues, including escort agencies, massage parlours, hotels and motels, clients’ residences, and sex workers’ homes.
Indigenous people disproportionately represented in street-level sex work.
periods of financial need or outright poverty are often key drivers, these are not the only ones. Many choose this work for the autonomy and flexibility it affords – that is, the ability to choose when and where to work, who they work with, and how much money they
earn each week61,81. Still others see the sex industry as an opportunity to explore their
sexuality, to validate their desirability, and to be a part of something that defies
social-sexual norms and values.
common myths are that all sex workers are victims, all sex workers are drug addicts, all sex workers are survivors of sexual abuse, and sex work is inherently violent.
1) they do not recognize the diversity of the sex worker population;
2) while street-level workers tend to be comparatively disadvantaged, some prefer the
“flexibility, autonomy, and unstructured nature of this sector” of the industry; and 3)
while street-level work is the most visible aspect of the sex industry, research suggests
the majority of workers do not work on the street61
STIGMA
while a sex worker might be many things, they are reduced to single thing: their occupation
perceived stigma: some sex workers will avoid certain social interactions out of fear that people will treat them differently if they find out they work in the sex industry
enacted stigma: a sex worker may seek out police protection or health services but find they do not always receive appropriate care
sex workers are easy targets for discrimination because they are blamed for such things as the breakdown of the traditional family, sexually transmitted infections (but especially HIV/AIDS), escalating crime in urban areas (especially those related to drugs), and the subversion of youth.
the sex industry is disproportionately made up of groups of people who have been historically scapegoated for social problems, including: women, Aboriginals, visible minorities, immigrants, those with sexually transmitted illnesses, illicit drug users, disabled persons, single-parents, as well as, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or transsexual individuals
many sex workers feel they play an important role in society, either as legitimate artistic performers, emotional and/or sexual health counsellors, or by providing an important service for disabled persons and by deflecting violence away from women in the general public.
VIOLENCE
Many sex workers reject the notion that sex work is inherently violent and attribute the disproportionately high level of violence associated with the sex industry to its stigmatization and criminalization.
sex workers have historically often not been believed by police and
service providers when they say they have been raped because mainstream society
considers the bodies of sex workers undeserving of integrity and violable at all times
Because sex work is so deeply stigmatized sex workers are usually unwelcome in
residential neighbourhoods and busy commercial districts and therefore pushed into
industrial parks or other marginalized areas of cities or towns
women are not statistically more likely than men or transgendered sex workers to experience beatings and robbery on the job. However, women may be more likely to be raped
, it is widely reported by sex workers, globally, that police engage in “excessive use of physical force, forced removal and subsequent abandonment [to] outlying areas, and coerced sex to police in exchange for freedom from detainment, fine, or arrest”
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women in the
street-trade are more likely to be injured, go missing, or be murdered in places like
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, or on what has become known as the “Highway of
Tears” (Highway 16 located in Northern British Columbia near Prince Rupert) than
are white women
studies report that anywhere from 60-80% of indoor workers report never experiencing any work-related violence
it is likely that a relatively small number of men posing as clients are repeat offenders, committing a large number of the violent crimes against sex workers
THE LAW / SCC
In recognition that current federal laws are unconstitutional, Ontario Superior Court Justice Susan Himel struck down three provisions of the criminal code mentioned above (sections 210; 212(l)(j) and 213(i)(c)) in September 2010. Himel found these laws prevented sex workers from taking steps to enhance their safety and reduce the risk of violence. A stay of effect – whereby current laws are suspended – was put in place pending appeal. While sex workers and sex worker advocates have applauded this progressive ruling, the Conservative government appealed to the Ontario Count of Appeal
All five upheld the earlier decision that the Bawdy house provision (s. 210) was unconstitutional but suspended the declaration of invalidity for 12 months
Section 212 (living on the avails of prostitution) was not struck down but amended. All five agreed to reword the section to say “prohibition applies only to those who live on the avails of prostitution in circumstances of exploitation.” The amended living on the avails section of the law takes place 30 days from the release of the decision.
http://www.pivotlegal.org/canada_v_bedford_a_synopsis_of_the_supreme_court_of_canada_ruling
“The prohibitions at issue do not merely impose conditions on how prostitutes operate. They go a critical step further, by imposing dangerous conditions on prostitution; they prevent people engaged in a risky – but legal – activity from taking steps to protect themselves from the risk.” (para 60)
// The prohibitions at issue impose dangerous
(bawdy house) Specifically, the Court stated that “the harms identified by the courts below are grossly disproportionate to the deterrence of community disruption that is the object of the law. Parliament has the power to regulate against nuisances, but not at the cost of the health safety and lives of prostitutes. A law that prevents street-prostitutes from resorting to a safe haven such as Grandma’s House while a suspected serial killer prowls the streets, is a law that has lost sight of its purpose.” (para 136)
(avails) “The law punishes everyone who lives on the avails of prostitution without distinguishing between those who exploit prostitutes (such as controlling and abusive pimps) and those who could increase the safety and security of prostitutes (for example, legitimate drivers, managers, or bodyguards.” (para 142)
(comm) “By prohibiting communication in public for the purpose of prostitution, the law prevents prostitutes from screening clients and setting terms for the use of condoms or safe houses. In these ways, it significantly increases the risk they face.” (para 71)
“If screening could have prevented one woman from jumping into Robert Pickton’s car, the severity of the harmful effects is established” (para 158)
SEX WORKERs
"After having appeared at the justice committee, and being given 10 minutes — actually, five minutes and 30 seconds — to speak, and then ignored for an hour and a half, I have no real interest in going through that experience again."
"Sex workers are not just symbolic representations, but living, breathing Canadians who are going to suffer under C-36,” - Nicole Matte
"Our clients, men and women, are not perverts or criminals, and we are not victims." - Maxime Dorocher
"We don't need saving, what we need is to be part of society like everyone else” - Maxime Dorocher
"Bad laws serve us up on a silver platter to sexual predators,” - Valerie Scott
PARLIAMENT
"We believe prostitution is inherently dangerous and exploitative." — Justice Minister Peter MacKay
“[Sex trades] are not harmful because they are illegal. They are illegal because they are harmful." — Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act
“Sex workers are average Canadians. They’re Caucasian, in their 30s and 40s, and have education and training outside of high school. Most of them don’t feel exploited, they don’t see buyers as oppressors,” the study’s lead author Cecilia Benoit, a researcher at the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, told Maclean’s. “They’re not weird, unusual people. They are people trying to do the best they can with the tools they have to live their lives.”
"The five-year study began in 2011 and is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Researchers interviewed 218 sex workers, 1,252 clients, 30 spouses or intimate partners of sex workers, 61 managers of escort or massage businesses, and 80 law enforcement officials. The interviewees were from six cities: St. John’s, N.L., Montreal, Kitchener, Ont., Fort McMurray, Alta., and Victoria."
http://www.understandingsexwork.com/
http://www.understandingsexwork.com/sites/default/files/uploads/BillC36brief.pdf
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/pivotlegal/pages/660/attachments/original/1404320254/C36_Info_Sheet.pdf?1404320254
http://www.johnsvoice.ca/
RESEARCH
PURCHASING
People purchase sex for a range of reasons including: adventure, loneliness, sexual
insecurity, companionship, and sex/gender exploration
purchasers of sex are stigmatized by their association with the sex
industry and often labeled as either immoral, sexually perverted, or as women-haters
Purchasers of sex are often looking for someone to fulfill a confidant or counsellig role in their lives.
men do not want to feel as though they are coercing potentially sexually exploited
youth, trafficked and/or drug-addicted people into having sex
Little is known, about the women or transgendered/transsexual people who purchase sex
SELLING
the stereotyping of sex workers that goes on in the popular media and among people with little firsthand experience of sex work can have a profound impact on the health, safety, and security of sex workers, as well as their friends and families, those who pay for their services, and those who play a managerial role in the sex industry.
sex workers are adults who earn at least part of their income through the sale of direct sexual contact.
the term sex worker emphasizes the work relations of the individuals involved. As such, they should be entitled to the same rights and responsibility as all other workers in Canada, including fair and equal treatment by managers and clients, health and safety at work, employment benefits, and legal protections. The term sex worker also encourages us to envision individuals engaged in this kind of economic activity as complex people whose worker status is just one aspect of their self-identity.
There are no accurate estimates of the gender breakdown of sex workers.
in Canada, Australia, and the UK the majority of sex work takes place in private venues, including escort agencies, massage parlours, hotels and motels, clients’ residences, and sex workers’ homes.
Indigenous people disproportionately represented in street-level sex work.
periods of financial need or outright poverty are often key drivers, these are not the only ones. Many choose this work for the autonomy and flexibility it affords – that is, the ability to choose when and where to work, who they work with, and how much money they
earn each week61,81. Still others see the sex industry as an opportunity to explore their
sexuality, to validate their desirability, and to be a part of something that defies
social-sexual norms and values.
common myths are that all sex workers are victims, all sex workers are drug addicts, all sex workers are survivors of sexual abuse, and sex work is inherently violent.
1) they do not recognize the diversity of the sex worker population;
2) while street-level workers tend to be comparatively disadvantaged, some prefer the
“flexibility, autonomy, and unstructured nature of this sector” of the industry; and 3)
while street-level work is the most visible aspect of the sex industry, research suggests
the majority of workers do not work on the street61
STIGMA
while a sex worker might be many things, they are reduced to single thing: their occupation
perceived stigma: some sex workers will avoid certain social interactions out of fear that people will treat them differently if they find out they work in the sex industry
enacted stigma: a sex worker may seek out police protection or health services but find they do not always receive appropriate care
sex workers are easy targets for discrimination because they are blamed for such things as the breakdown of the traditional family, sexually transmitted infections (but especially HIV/AIDS), escalating crime in urban areas (especially those related to drugs), and the subversion of youth.
the sex industry is disproportionately made up of groups of people who have been historically scapegoated for social problems, including: women, Aboriginals, visible minorities, immigrants, those with sexually transmitted illnesses, illicit drug users, disabled persons, single-parents, as well as, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or transsexual individuals
many sex workers feel they play an important role in society, either as legitimate artistic performers, emotional and/or sexual health counsellors, or by providing an important service for disabled persons and by deflecting violence away from women in the general public.
VIOLENCE
Many sex workers reject the notion that sex work is inherently violent and attribute the disproportionately high level of violence associated with the sex industry to its stigmatization and criminalization.
sex workers have historically often not been believed by police and
service providers when they say they have been raped because mainstream society
considers the bodies of sex workers undeserving of integrity and violable at all times
Because sex work is so deeply stigmatized sex workers are usually unwelcome in
residential neighbourhoods and busy commercial districts and therefore pushed into
industrial parks or other marginalized areas of cities or towns
women are not statistically more likely than men or transgendered sex workers to experience beatings and robbery on the job. However, women may be more likely to be raped
, it is widely reported by sex workers, globally, that police engage in “excessive use of physical force, forced removal and subsequent abandonment [to] outlying areas, and coerced sex to police in exchange for freedom from detainment, fine, or arrest”
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women in the
street-trade are more likely to be injured, go missing, or be murdered in places like
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, or on what has become known as the “Highway of
Tears” (Highway 16 located in Northern British Columbia near Prince Rupert) than
are white women
studies report that anywhere from 60-80% of indoor workers report never experiencing any work-related violence
it is likely that a relatively small number of men posing as clients are repeat offenders, committing a large number of the violent crimes against sex workers
THE LAW / SCC
In recognition that current federal laws are unconstitutional, Ontario Superior Court Justice Susan Himel struck down three provisions of the criminal code mentioned above (sections 210; 212(l)(j) and 213(i)(c)) in September 2010. Himel found these laws prevented sex workers from taking steps to enhance their safety and reduce the risk of violence. A stay of effect – whereby current laws are suspended – was put in place pending appeal. While sex workers and sex worker advocates have applauded this progressive ruling, the Conservative government appealed to the Ontario Count of Appeal
All five upheld the earlier decision that the Bawdy house provision (s. 210) was unconstitutional but suspended the declaration of invalidity for 12 months
Section 212 (living on the avails of prostitution) was not struck down but amended. All five agreed to reword the section to say “prohibition applies only to those who live on the avails of prostitution in circumstances of exploitation.” The amended living on the avails section of the law takes place 30 days from the release of the decision.
http://www.pivotlegal.org/canada_v_bedford_a_synopsis_of_the_supreme_court_of_canada_ruling
“The prohibitions at issue do not merely impose conditions on how prostitutes operate. They go a critical step further, by imposing dangerous conditions on prostitution; they prevent people engaged in a risky – but legal – activity from taking steps to protect themselves from the risk.” (para 60)
// The prohibitions at issue impose dangerous
(bawdy house) Specifically, the Court stated that “the harms identified by the courts below are grossly disproportionate to the deterrence of community disruption that is the object of the law. Parliament has the power to regulate against nuisances, but not at the cost of the health safety and lives of prostitutes. A law that prevents street-prostitutes from resorting to a safe haven such as Grandma’s House while a suspected serial killer prowls the streets, is a law that has lost sight of its purpose.” (para 136)
(avails) “The law punishes everyone who lives on the avails of prostitution without distinguishing between those who exploit prostitutes (such as controlling and abusive pimps) and those who could increase the safety and security of prostitutes (for example, legitimate drivers, managers, or bodyguards.” (para 142)
(comm) “By prohibiting communication in public for the purpose of prostitution, the law prevents prostitutes from screening clients and setting terms for the use of condoms or safe houses. In these ways, it significantly increases the risk they face.” (para 71)
“If screening could have prevented one woman from jumping into Robert Pickton’s car, the severity of the harmful effects is established” (para 158)
SEX WORKERs
"After having appeared at the justice committee, and being given 10 minutes — actually, five minutes and 30 seconds — to speak, and then ignored for an hour and a half, I have no real interest in going through that experience again."
"Sex workers are not just symbolic representations, but living, breathing Canadians who are going to suffer under C-36,” - Nicole Matte
"Our clients, men and women, are not perverts or criminals, and we are not victims." - Maxime Dorocher
"We don't need saving, what we need is to be part of society like everyone else” - Maxime Dorocher
"Bad laws serve us up on a silver platter to sexual predators,” - Valerie Scott
PARLIAMENT
"We believe prostitution is inherently dangerous and exploitative." — Justice Minister Peter MacKay
“[Sex trades] are not harmful because they are illegal. They are illegal because they are harmful." — Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act
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