prostitution bill, sex worker groups

A new prostitution bill that was recently passed by the Canadian government has been slammed by sex worker groups. The bill was controversial from the moment that it was proposed, and while the intent was to protect sex workers and view them as victims rather than criminals the end result is not popular with sex worker groups who advocate for these victims. According to Prostitutes of Ottawa-Gatineau Work Educate & Resist spokesperson Emily Symons “December 6th will be especially sad for sex workers this yea. The deeply flawed and misleadingly-named Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act not only reintroduces laws deemed unconstitutional in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court only one year ago – it actually makes them worse.” Symons continued by saying that the bill will “absolutely put sex workers in Canada at greater risk of violence, and that is totally unacceptable.”

Sex worker groups agree with the reasons behind the new prostitution bill, but not the methods used. A number of agencies that include the Canadian AIDS Society and the John Howard Society want the prostitution bill repealed, and sex services decriminalized in the country. The agencies issued a joint statement which reads in part “Bill C-36 views all sex workers as victims of violence rather than understanding that it is criminalization, isolation and denial of rights and freedoms that breed violence and exploitation against sex workers.” It is too soon to tell whether the bill will work as intended or if unintended consequences will make it harder on sex workers in Canada instead.