Report finds that criminal law harms sex workers
2022-07-26
elrond
When a law “does serious harm” to Canadians “by making (their) work more dangerous,” you’d think politicians would be all over each other to repeal it. Unless, of course, that law concerns sex work.
A recent report by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in Canada has found that the criminal law is causing serious harms to the people it aims to pro .....
Community rallies in support of woman violently sexually assaulted last month
2022-07-21
elrond
That rallying call rang through Barton Street East on Friday night as dozens of community members marched in a showing of support for a sex worker who was sexually assaulted and beaten last month.
“The law in Canada exacerbates and reproduces harms,” said Vermilion. “So long as the act of engaging in sex for money is illegal, sex workers will not see police as allies in mom .....
Oakville man charged after allegedly trafficking three women into sex work
2022-07-20
elrond
Twenty Nine year old Oakville man charged after allegedly trafficking three women into sex work. The police allege the man controlled the lives of the victims and profited financially. .....
Nova Scotia sex worker going to small claims court over non-payment
2022-07-16
elrond
A Nova Scotia escort is going after a client in the small claims court.
In Canada sex workers are allowed to sell sex, but they are not allowed to advertise, and clients are committing a criminal offence in the purchase.
It is hoped this case will shift the conversation about sex work in Canada. The sex worker in the case hopes that: Where it is in the sex worker's best .....
Laws must be repealed and sex work must be decriminalized immediately
2022-07-01
elrond
Instead of fully decriminalizing sex work as the decision implied, Parliament instead fully criminalized sex work for the first time in Canadian history in 2014 under the ideological—and absurd—notion that sex workers are inherently exploited and that sex work can be eradicated through criminalization. On June 22, the House Justice and Human Rights Committee tabled its report followin .....
How Canadas Laws Make Sex Work Less Safe
2021-10-01
elrond
The spa was one of Toronto’s 25 licensed “body rub parlours,” the city’s parlance for spas that offer non-therapeutic and erotic massages. In Toronto, body rub parlours are confined to rigid zoning restrictions—they need to be at least 100 metres from residential zones and 500 metres from schools or places of worship—so many end up in semi-industrial areas like .....
A Sex Worker Group Unionized for the First Time in Canada
2021-09-21
elrond
Strippers at Maggie's in Toronto have succesfully unionised. Many of the strippers experienced pay docking, and working long stretches without breaks. While the union only represents Maggie's staff, it is hoped the trend will spread nationally. .....
Prostitution law reform in Canada: Full decriminalization only option
2021-09-01
elrond
As discussed in the first article in this series, Bill C-36 reverses the constitutional progress of Canada (Attorney General) v. Bedford [2013] 3 S.C.R. by complicating the procedure of prostitution and endangering the lives of sex workers. In light of these limitations, the Parliament must amend this legislation using the decriminalization model of prostitution policy.
All laws restraining .....
City of Winnipeg looking at licensing rules around sex work
2021-06-15
elrond
WINNIPEG -- The City of Winnipeg wants to drop fees for people in the sex industry in the hopes more will get licensed, but at least one councillor says the plan won't work.
A report from city hall claims a new bylaw should lower the fee for escorts and body rub practitioners from $371 to $25 in an effort to knock down barriers to licensing.
According to the report, only 52 practiti .....
Judge rules key federal sex work laws unconstitutional
2021-04-23
elrond
An Ontario Superior Court judge has declared unconstitutional legal provisions that ban sex workers from being able to work safely, including by being able to advertise on third-party platforms, hire security, work together and communicate with clients.
Superior Court Justice Phillip Sutherland ruled Wednesday that a set of criminal offences introduced by the federal Conservatives in 2014, r .....