I’ve had to keep this a secret for months as my lawyer has had me on a ‘gag order’ but I guess now that it’s in the news I can let you all know now that I, along with some other sex workers, are suing the Canadian government over it’s current prostitution laws. Wow, that feels good to finally get off my breast… I mean chest. Below is a media article (I’m quoted in it), on our lawsuit:

 

Sex workers to mount court challenge of Ottawa over 'dangerous' laws

 Sheila M. Dabu, Canadian Press

Published: Sunday, December 17, 2006

OTTAWA (CP) - A leading advocacy group for decriminalizing prostitution in Canada is planning to take the federal government to court over laws that it says endanger the lives of sex workers across the country.

Valerie Scott, executive director of Sex Professionals of Canada, says the legal action will go ahead in January.

"The communicating and bawdy house laws are arbitrary," Scott said in an interview from Toronto.

"They do more harm than good, and we'll be filing in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. We're hoping to get a judgement from them within two years. Then we'll go to the Supreme Court of Canada with it."

The common bawdy house laws can evict women from their homes, since landlords receive a notice of their alleged activities, said Wendy Babcock, spokeswoman for the Sex Professionals of Canada.

Scott, who expects to be one of the plaintiffs in the court case, says the group will challenge the country's solicitation laws on constitutional grounds.

The sex trade in Canada falls into a legal grey area because, while prostitution itself is not illegal, activities related to it are. Individuals who communicate for the purpose of prostitution or who sell sexual services can be charged under the Criminal Code.

"It's really unfortunate that our profession is one of the few professions that doesn't have any legal protection to it," Babcock said. "Making it illegal is just forcing women into dangerous situations."

News of violence against sex trade workers has garnered headlines in recent weeks. The slayings of five women in Ipswitch, England, triggered warnings for prostitutes there to stay off the streets.

In Canada, a seven-months-pregnant mother of three was stabbed to death in Gatineau, Que., after an alleged "bad date." And jurors have just been selected for the trial of Robert Picton, the alleged serial killer of at least 26 sex workers from Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside.

A 2006 Statistics Canada report said women in the sex trade are extremely vulnerable to violence which "often goes unnoticed."

"According to police reports submitted to Statistics Canada, between 1991 and 2004, 171 female prostitutes were killed and 45 per cent of these homicides remain unsolved," the report said.

Statistics on the homicide rate of sex workers are "almost certainly lower than the real figures," according to a report issued this month by a Commons subcommittee. Three-quarters of the homicides reported to the panel took place in Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, Toronto, Winnipeg and Ottawa-Gatineau.

But after hearing testimony from over 300 witnesses, MPs from the various parties on the subcommittee coudln't agree on legislative changes to the prostitution laws.

Many advocates of sex workers' rights, such as Samantha Smyth of the Canadian National Coalition of Experiential Women, say it's time to have a national debate.

Violence is a daily threat in the lives of sex workers, said Smyth, noting that Sunday was the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. In Canada, marches and candlelight vigils were scheduled in Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa.

There are no official figures on how many people are engaged in prostitution in this country. It's estimated that only five to 20 per cent of those involved in prostitution work on the streets. A majority work in such venues as hotels, strip clubs or private homes.

Jenn Clamen, mobilization co-ordinator of Stella, a Montreal-based support and information group by and for sex workers, slammed the Commons panel for failing to recommend decriminalizing prostitution. Instead, the report urged increased education and programs to prevent people from entering the trade.

"The lack of legal protection and non-recognition of the work of sex workers is leading to violence and marginalization," Clamen said.

Stella publishes a "bad date" bulletin in a city estimated to have about 5,000 to 10,000 sex workers.

Jody Paterson, executive director of the Prostitutes Empowerment Education and Resource Society in Victoria, said a solution to the problem of violence is urgently needed.

"How come the only time people talk about prostitution is when a few sex workers have been murdered? I just don't get this," said Paterson.

John Lowman, criminology professor at Simon Fraser University and a leading expert on prostitution, agrees.

Lowman predicts the upcoming court case will be successful because current federal legislation violates the rights of sex workers to "life, liberty and safety."

"It's high time these laws were struck down," says Lowman. "They make no sense."

Bravo Wendy. I was once against decriminalization, but I have since changed my tune. My rant on the subject was posted way back on my personal blog (I have two):

http://www.adrian.josephlavoie.com/2006/05/30/the-exciting-profession/

Please do not be offended by some of the references. It was not my intention to belittle prostitutes, but to say that the sex trade is not something I wanted to promote an industry in, but rather recognition of the activity as inherently exploitative of women, and to bring about reform laws that would enable these women repatriation into working society.

I welcome your own views on the matter.

WOOOOOOHOOOO! This is such a great thing you are doing Wendy. Funny you should mention, but a group of sex trade workers were trying to form a Union as "dancers" or something of the like. They attended Human rights activities put on by my Union. Older women within my union who were there said they learned sooo much from these women and were inspired by their struggle! I believe a person has the right to a safe work place. This is a wonderful reform movement!:)Good Luck!!!

Hey good luck to you, power to the people.

I wish you the best of luck and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Can you post a link to your defense fund if you have one?

I do wish you luck Wendy. Thank you for clueing me in. I wish you and yours safety and soundness. I am sure you will let me/us know how things go...

GOODLUCK WENDY!!!! I know that you can do it! And with this, I believe that everyone will benefit from it.

With what is going on in Ipswitch, the government should be alarmed and give equal justice and protection to everyone.

Update us in regards to this matter.

Good luck with the case.

WOW Congrats babia ,

You are doing great I am with you in spirit

Good luck with it all - keep us posted on how its going

Hey Wendy. I think that is great that you are strong in what you believe in and are willing to fight for it. I have mixed feelings on the subject. I too was a working girl in my younger years so I have seen both sides of the fence. I would say form my experience that 85% of the girls I knew were addicted to drugs like me. Another 90% were sexual abused in some way. I know that prostitution will always be around and I do wish it was safer for all involved but I do not support the idea of selling yourself for money, I just can’t not after what I have been through and seen. However I am in support of bringing awareness to the situation. I volunteer at a place here in Calgary called Servants Anonymous Society http://www.servantsanon.com/ which I was involved in when I cleaned up and got off the streets. This is how I help in the sex trade fight. Best of luck to you and your fight my friend!!!

I guess some johns think when they pay they own you and can do anything. How will the law prevent that?

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Taxi driving is also pretty risky tho not as much. They just get you alone and they know you probably have $$$ on you.

Monday, December 18th 2006 @ 6:12 PM