Canada and Prostitution

Term Paper # 99159

Canadian Studies
Criminology > Public and Crime
Law > Criminal

An analysis of the laws in Canada regarding prostitution and sex-trade workers.

1,066 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the laws in Canada vis-a-vis prostitution and discusses whether or not these laws serve to shield sex trade workers from abuse and exploitation. It also discusses to whom prostitutes can turn if they require assistance. The paper then explores the options which might reduce pimping - or at least control it appreciably.

From the Paper:

"Be that as it may, there are people and institutions to whom sex trade workers in Canada can turn even if the nature of their work compels them to work in shadowy locations with perfect strangers. For one thing, organizations like the Pivot Legal Society (located in Vancouver, British Columbia) exist to advance the interests and concerns of sex trade workers (Pivot Legal Society, 2006). There is also a down-town drop-in shelter for sex trade workers in Vancouver - a city which has long had a serious prostitution problem - that receives generous contributions from private business if not from local, provincial and federal governments (Spirit of Vancouver, 2003). Although information is surprisingly scant, one can surmise that similar shelters exist in other large Canadian metropolitan centers with prostitution problems - such as Toronto and Montreal. In any event, police services throughout Canada have not had a historically strong reputation for treating the concerns of prostitutes well - a situation which has necessarily led to the under-reporting of violent assaults against sex trade workers."

Sample of Sources Used:

Children of the Street Society. "Parents and Caregivers". N.d. Available from <http://www.childrenofthestreet.com/Parents+and+Caregivers/default.htm> accessed 31 Jul. 2006.
Department of Justice, Canada. "Offense in Relation to Prostitution - Sec.213". Canadian Criminal Code, 3 Mar. 2006. Available from <http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-46/267334.html#rid-267359> accessed 31 Jul. 2006.
Hendley, Nate. "The Cop and the Streetwalkers". Eye Weekly, 9 Dec. 1999. Available from <http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_12.09.99/news/assault.php> accessed 31 Jul. 2006.
Lowman, John. "Reconvening the Federal Committee on Prostitution Law Reform". Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), 20 Jul. 2004. Available from <http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/171/2/147> accessed 31 Jul. 2006.
Pivot Legal Society. "Homepage - Sex Work". Pivot, 2006. Available from <http://www.pivotlegal.org/Issues/sextrade.htm> accessed 31 Jul. 2006.