When analyzing the current prostitution laws in Canada, it is evident that they are absolutely unacceptable (Lowman, 2012). A public opinion survey established that the majority of Canadians believe that prostitution is improper and should be prohibited. However, there is little evidence of a broad social consensus in Canada on what should be done about the apparent issues surrounding the sex trade industry. Due to the fact that 98% of prostitutes in Canada are women, the topics discussed in this essay will concern only women in this industry (Anonymous, 2014). There is great controversy surrounding the stigma that prostitutes “get what they deserve” because it marginalizes sex workers and allows people to get away with exploiting, humiliating,
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Legalization had generally been found to increase rather than reduce buyers demands for “cheaper” or “unrestricted” sex, child prostitution, child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and alcohol-related harms. In a 2011 survey, 60% of people gave moderate or strong support to allowing indoor prostitution because they believed it would deter prostitutes from putting themselves at risk on the streets while only 30% opposed indoor prostitution because they believed it could lead to the legitimization of the sex trade industry, which could turn Canada into a “safe haven for sex tourism” (Lowman, 2012). Addressing the demand for commercial sex is a key component of any plan to prevent sex trafficking, which the Nordic model (which will be discussed later) set in Canada …show more content…
In a survey conducted in 2003 of a sample of 854 prostitutes around the world, between 55% and 90% of women were subjected to sexual abuse as children and ran away from home to begin living a life on “the street” (Waltman, 2011). Of the sample, 47% of these women entered the industry under the age of eighteen and were subjected to a high risk life from a very young age. Considering the research done, courts recognize that some sex workers enter the profession by choice and others by circumstances but that all are worthy of legal protection (Anonymous, 2015). However, many prostitutes prefer anonymity and getting out of the industry without leaving traces over security offered by authorities (Waltman, 2011). Nonetheless, escaping the industry is made just as hard as continuing their work when women’s shelters carefully pick the women that they choose to admit; no women with children, pets, HIV, communicable diseases, criminal records, women who have not been drug-free for a specified time, or women recently released from prison (Waltman, 2011). Not surprisingly, these policies create insurmountable barriers to escape the industry for most
Legalization had generally been found to increase rather than reduce buyers demands for “cheaper” or “unrestricted” sex, child prostitution, child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and alcohol-related harms. In a 2011 survey, 60% of people gave moderate or strong support to allowing indoor prostitution because they believed it would deter prostitutes from putting themselves at risk on the streets while only 30% opposed indoor prostitution because they believed it could lead to the legitimization of the sex trade industry, which could turn Canada into a “safe haven for sex tourism” (Lowman, 2012). Addressing the demand for commercial sex is a key component of any plan to prevent sex trafficking, which the Nordic model (which will be discussed later) set in Canada …show more content…
In a survey conducted in 2003 of a sample of 854 prostitutes around the world, between 55% and 90% of women were subjected to sexual abuse as children and ran away from home to begin living a life on “the street” (Waltman, 2011). Of the sample, 47% of these women entered the industry under the age of eighteen and were subjected to a high risk life from a very young age. Considering the research done, courts recognize that some sex workers enter the profession by choice and others by circumstances but that all are worthy of legal protection (Anonymous, 2015). However, many prostitutes prefer anonymity and getting out of the industry without leaving traces over security offered by authorities (Waltman, 2011). Nonetheless, escaping the industry is made just as hard as continuing their work when women’s shelters carefully pick the women that they choose to admit; no women with children, pets, HIV, communicable diseases, criminal records, women who have not been drug-free for a specified time, or women recently released from prison (Waltman, 2011). Not surprisingly, these policies create insurmountable barriers to escape the industry for most