Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the decriminalization of prostitution in Toronto may be advantageous for sex workers. It states that although women are supposedly equal in Canada, somehow thousands of Canadian women still end up in sex work - a line of work in which they are at risk of violence, diseases and death. The paper argues that laws meant to protect society actually victimize people who are already at the bottom rung of society - marginalized, poor women - as well as a smaller group of male and transsexual prostitutes, and even some children. Law enforcers and the public frequently launch campaigns aimed at removing sex workers altogether - such as closing brothels and massage parlors. This does not remove sex workers - it merely makes them less safe. The paper concludes that protecting the rights of sex workers and decriminalizing prostitution will help to protect their safety and welfare.

From the Paper:

"The lives of sex workers are fraught with risks and threats. For example, by the very nature of their work, they are at risk of contracting a range of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, which is usually terminal. One might argue that sex workers should protect themselves by practicing safe sex. However, the reality is that these people are in a very disempowered position in society, and consequently, they are very often not in a position to insist on safe sex practices. A key part of their disempowerment is that they have little recourse to the law. In other words, if they are forced to have unsafe sex, they do not feel safe in laying a charge with the police. This is because their line of work is circumscribed by laws that aim to end prostitution, and therefore they do not feel safe phoning the police. Thus, one of the key reasons why the legal system pertaining to sex work should be changed is that this would facilitate equal rights to police protection for sex workers - who desperately need such protection."

Sample of Sources Used:

• alt.sex.prostitution. Retrieved from web site: http://www.cs.uu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/alt-sex/prostitution/organizations.html.
• Banting, Keith, Hoberg, George and Simeon, Richard. Degrees of freedom: Canada and the United States in a changing world. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1997.
• Bastow, Karen. "Prostitution and HIV/AIDS." HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Newsletter 2.2 (1995).
• Canadian Human Rights Commission. "Human Rights in Canada: A Historical Perspective." n.d. Retrieved from web site: http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/en/browseSubjects/womenRights.asp
• Canoe. "Show 32 - Prostitution: Should it be Legal in Canada?" 3rd Nov., 2004. Retrieved from web site: http://rapids.canoe.ca/cgi-bin/NewChat/NC-transcript.pl?CHAT_NAME=Flirt-32&WATCHER_ID=1503466&ACTION=TRANSCRIPT&LAST=999999.

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