Abstract
This essay takes a look at the issue of prostitution in Canada at the beginning of the 20th century. The paper points out that, in more recent years, theorists have increasingly begun to frame prostitution as a social issue, and as an occupation forced on marginalized, poverty-stricken people. However, in earlier times, it was more common to frame prostitution as a moral issue, or as a law enforcement issue. The paper ultimately attempts to show how the failure to suppress prostitution was directly linked to the failure to understand it, which in turn was based on a sexist inability to conceptualize women as subjects making choices, due to extenuating socioeconomic circumstances.

From the Paper
"Nilsen notes that in the period 1906 to 1917, most local residents of Vancouver perceived prostitutes as nothing but blight on the city, and a negative influence on property values. Unlike national reformers, they failed to see prostitutes as women for whom they should feel pity. They failed to perceive them as victims of pimps, or as victims of socioeconomic circumstances. Their response to prostitution was to draw up petitions to have it removed by stringent law enforcement. On the other hand, the National Council of Women, which in other respects was a philanthropic organization, saw the solution to prostitution as being moral education and tougher laws (Nilsen, 1980). It is suggested that, as the members of that esteemed council were all middle class women, they had never been in the situation of having to feed themselves or their children on nothing but "moral education." What is interesting to note is that although both residents and the National Council of Women were coming at the matter from different perspectives, both had a touching faith that laws could remove the problem."

Tags:prostitution, moral, promiscuity, deviance, sexual

Abstract
This paper explains that not only are there sex trades workers from Eastern Europe who migrate to Canada by their own will but also other sex trade workers are forced by traffickers to migrate. The author points out that women from Eastern Europe choose Canada as a good country for immigration because the mass media inform them about Canada as a land of opportunities. The paper stresses that the reality is very different.

From the Paper
'Many women intentionally come to Canada each year from Eastern Europe to work in the sex trade, especially in Toronto. Other women from the same area are trafficked by criminals. I am interested in both groups, especially the women who come of their own free will. My question concerns their reasons for immigrating and their satisfaction later. I do know that the women who enter the sex trade are poor and have little or no opportunities. Sex trafficking operates two ways, both into and out of Eastern Europe. Sexual trafficking is a trap ... .'

Tags:globalization, migration, sextrade

Abstract
The paper examines prostitution in Canada - specifically, the moral sensibilities which have always under-girded Canadian anti-prostitution laws and the consequences these attitudes have had for the laws and sanctions put in place to discourage the practice. Of especial importance, the paper will delve into the patriarchal and Judeo-Christian foundations of Canada's prostitution laws and what this has ultimately meant for women who find themselves ensnarled in the sex trade industry. Finally, the paper will look at the broad evolution (such as it is) of Canadian prostitution law and consider the ways in which the laws of the land are both letting down women working on the streets and manifesting an uncomfortable degree of moral hypocrisy. In the final analysis, prostitution is something that has historically been defined on moral terms by male elites - and that, ultimately, may be why the laws have done relatively little to protect women sex-trade workers or to get them the help they need.

Tags:law, sex, illegal, street

Abstract
This paper discusses how prostitution is legal in Canada although living off the avails of prostitution remains illegal as does engaging in sex-for-money negotiations in a public place. It contends that when investigating the circumstances of most sex trade workers, one does see why at least partial criminalization remains desirable and why an inhibiting legal framework is needed.

Outline:
Introduction
Arguments Against Legalized Prostitution
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper
"Street prostitutes face extreme danger in random violence, sexual assault and abduction, risks that men and women probably would not take without the compulsion to finance addictions. Street prostitution, as the now prevailing form, is generally considered 10 times more dangerous than sex work in brothels of one kind or another, for the bona fide criminal preys upon vulnerable persons of which the sex worker is highly vulnerable for each client is usually a stranger of unknown potential. Sex workers are known to be less likely to report assaults or thefts to police, they often have access to cash, and are easily identified. (Summers 2006) Whereas other men or women are usually not accessible for one-on-one private meetings, the sex trade worker expects this situation and is thus highly accessible. "

Tags:Sex, Traffic, drugs, Exploitation, Crime

Abstract
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."

Tags:pimp, Pivot, shelters

Abstract
The paper examines a 2005 text penned by Ruth A. Frager and Carmela Patrias entitled, "Discounted Labour: Women Workers in Canada, 1870-1939" and outlines why the text is a "good read" and an excellent synopsis of an important period in Canadian labour history. The paper also identifies how Frager and Patrias point out that today's Canadian labour market bears some surprising similarities to the one of three or four generations ago. The paper asserts that no novice student to Canadian labour history can afford to lightly dismiss this text.

From the Paper
"The following book report will look at a 2005 text penned by Ruth A. Frager and Carmela Patrias entitled, "Discounted Labour: Women Workers in Canada, 1870-1939". The paper will summarize the book and then outline why the text is a "good read" and an excellent synopsis of an important period in Canadian labour history. As well, the paper will identify how Frager and Patrias artfully point out that today's Canadian labour market bears some surprising similarities to the one of three or four generations ago. Ultimately, no novice student to Canadian labour history can afford to lightly dismiss this text."

Tags:labour, women, workers

Abstract
This paper explains that, in Canada, the same-sex marriage law was first passed in Ontario in 2003, that gradually provincial courts declared that laws prohibiting same-sex marriage were unconstitutional and, that in 2005, the House of Commons passed the Civil Marriage Act legalizing same-sex marriage in all of Canada. Nonetheless, the author relates that criticism of the law, similar to the arguments continuing to be raged in the United States, still exists in Canada. The paper concludes that, as an example to the world, the legalizing of same-sex marriage in Canada has not led to the social disruption or threat to traditional marriage that its opponents claimed were inevitable.

From the Paper
"Same-sex marriage was made legal in Ontario in 2003, and the idea spread gradually to other provinces as provincial courts declared that laws prohibiting same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional. By June 2005, same-sex marriage had been legalized in eight provinces and one territory. The House of Commons then passed The Civil Marriage Act (Bill C-38) on June 28, 2005 by a vote of 158-133, making same-sex marriage legal in all of Canada. At the time, Alberta had been the major holdout against same-sex marriage."

Tags:churches, parliamentary commission, supreme court, definition, domestic partnership

Abstract
This paper examines how prostitution in Thailand is practiced on such a large scale that it has become almost a way of life. The history of prostitution in the country goes back a long way, but it was internationalized during the Vietnam War when large numbers of American soldiers made Thailand their "R&R" base. Since then, an increasing number of sex tourists have patronized the sex trade in Bangkok and certain other cities. The sex workers in Thailand comprise both "free" and "forced" prostitutes, both of whom are exposed to a number of risks, such as exposure to dangerous diseases, exploitation, and violence. The profession does, however, provide a living for a large number of poor women, and the sex industry in Thailand is big business for many, including the thriving tourist industry.

Outline
History of Prostitution in Thailand
Causes of Prostitution in Thailand
Profile of the Sex Worker in Thailand
Health Issues
Effect of Prostitution on Other Thai Women
Helping Sex Workers
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The single biggest cause of prostitution in Thailand is without doubt poverty. Poverty is, as Mr. Shahabudin notes, "a vicious force that drives families to sacrifice their daughters to prostitution". Most surveys of "massage girls" in Bangkok show that over 70% of the girls come from poor farming families and almost all of them send part of their earnings home to feed their families. Many of them come from refugee families who have lost their land on which they farmed previously; now these families have little choice but to send their children out for work in order to survive. The incentive for making income through prostitution in Thailand is overwhelming for poor peasant girls: Catherine Hill (1993) quoting Pasuk Phongpaichit, author of From Peasant Girls to Bangkok Masseuses ( 1982, 8) writes that prostitution in Thailand offers "wages up to twenty-five times the wages to women in other industries.""

Tags:bangkok, disease, poverty

Abstract
Prostitution and human trafficking have both emerged as "hot button" issues in recent years. With that in mind, this following paper looks at the laws in Canada vis-a-vis prostitution and whether or not these laws serve to shield sex trade workers from abuse and exploitation. The paper also looks at to whom prostitutes can turn if they require assistance. In addition, the paper attempts to explore options which might reduce pimping - or at least control it appreciably.

From the Paper
"In the final analysis, Canada is doing a credible job of protecting its citizens from the evils of prostitution, but the current Canadian laws do a very poor..."

Tags:exploitation, canada

Abstract
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."

Tags:sex workers, crime legal legalization prostitute prejudice victimization violence