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Sex workers' rights in Canada

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Uploaded by on Jul 20, 2011

A very interesting thing is happening in Canada right now. It's the appeal of a 2010 court decision.

The outcome of the appeal is going to determine how sex workers conduct their business in Canada.



LINKS:

Justice Himel's decision (PDF):
http://www.uc.utoronto.ca/images/stories/Sexual%20Diversity%20Studies/ruling_...

and:
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00911/Ontario_Superior_Co_9113...

An analysis of Justice Himel's ruling:
http://www.thecourt.ca/2010/10/12/bedford-v-canada-renewed-debate-on-the-worl...

Terri-Jean Bedford's web site:
http://www.madamedesade.com

Terri-Jean Bedford's blog:
http://terrijeanbedford.blogspot.com/

The 1985 Parliamentary Committee:
http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/CIR/822-e.htm#dbilltxt

Summary of Robert Pickton:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pickton

"REAL Women of Canada":
http://www.realwomenca.com/

The Christian Legal Fellowship:
http://www.christianlegalfellowship.org/

The Catholic Civil Rights League:
http://www.ccrl.ca/

Wikipedia summary on the case:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_v._Canada

Bedford, Scott, Lebovitch, Himel named 2010 heroes:
http://torontoist.com/2010/12/hero_terri-jean_bedford_valerie_scott_amy_lebov...

Prostitution in Canada (StatsCan)
http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/Statcan/85-002-XIE/0029785-002-XIE.pdf


Coverage of the initial case:

http://www2.macleans.ca/tag/susan-himel/

http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/12/24/a-trial-in-error/#more-98262

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/judge-decriminalizes-prostitutio...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/dominatrix-takes-questions-on-ruling-agai...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/sex-workers-look-into-launching-...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prostitution-not-a-constitutiona...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/in-prostitution-case-crowns-witn...

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/canada/110615/canada...

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/867332--prostitution-laws-struck-down


Coverage of the appeal:

http://www2.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=4951065

http://www2.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=4944953

http://www2.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=4958321

http://www2.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=4951587

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1248345.html

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9021134.html

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1248728.html

http://gayblackcanadianman.com/2011/06/12/toronto-star-article-retired-toront...

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/15/dominatrix-fears-she-wont-see-end-to-leg...

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Prostitutes+like+everyone+else+deserve+safet...

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/17/prostitution-still-illegal--for-now

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/06/14/prostitutes-free-to-quit-government-l...

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1010048--risk-to-sex-workers-may-b...

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This video is dedicated to sex workers everywhere who lost their lives or are still missing.

  • likes, 7 dislikes

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Uploader Comments (SmilingSkeptic)

  • "no seriously" just fuck off with your anti-Canadian BS

  • @sweiland75 Sorry, I don't follow.

  • Excellent video very informational, so it's legal here in Canada, but illegal to have a place to do it? Do we have a professional porn industry like in the U.S?

    I personally think prostitution is degrading, but wouldn't go so far to call it immoral. As long as no harm inflicted on the individuals, It needs to be professional, safe, clean, and accountable in case problems arise. Just like any other business expectations.

    Have no clue about the women's situation, very sad :(

  • @architect333 We do have a porn industry here in Canada. It's nothing like the US industry in terms of volume. It's a bit fractured, with the major centres (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal) being the largest points of activity, with Montreal being the most active. That industry has its own concerns as well, the uppermost being online privacy. A guesstimate puts the Canadian porn market at about $300 million of the $57 billion worldwide porn industry, so it's relatively small.

  • Man, that is such a brilliant and beautiful piece of work. Thanks you. Thumbs up and fav'd, and featured.

  • @RichardRoy2 Thank you.

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All Comments (97)

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  • @mickGPN

    no one is under the false idea that decrim will make sex-industry safe. the goal is to make it SAFER. taxi drivers, real estate workers, cable installers all face simular physical dangers with their exposure to customers and no one here is talking about making these occupations illegal.

  • enslave someone who does not want to be a prostitute. doing so would be kidnapping and no one is trying to make kidnapping legal. make sex work legal and you will see more people willing to do it. and more people who dont want to do it have an easier time getting out. instead of harassing 2 concenting adults, law enforcements can have more money and resources protecting those who are not concenting or cant concent, which is a job they would have had to do anyways.

  • access to law enforcement and social serivces. not everyone no need the help will take it. but that is THEIR choice. its available and easily accessible. not every woman in the sex trade need you to be their advocate telling them what they should and shoudnt do with their own bodies. the ones that cant speak for themselves can better be helped wen you remove barriers of entry AND exit. if there are women willing to legally work there is no need for trafficers to recruite, restrain, and falsely

  • for prostitutes. cause now that its legal these women (and johns) have law enforcement behind them for protection and a legal system open to help them settle disputes. those who are currently in exploitive situation can get get help or leave (if they want ) and those who truely want to presue sex work as a career has fewer barriers. you are wrong when you claim help. there are women who legally get married to abusive men. we dont make marriage illegal to protect them. we do provide

  • to more resources to keep cigarettes selling and use out of the hands of people they dont want participating in the market place. the point of legalization is to provide participants with a legal, safe route. the governement taxes sales and uses the funds toward cracking down illegal sales and exposure to kids. it also goes to a health care system that will have to deal with smokers at some point. it goes into education and prevention. yes it will get better

  • @Tuckercrew

    decriminalzation is not ment to stop all forms of undesirable activity. for instance, you can legally buy ciggaretts. but there is still a market place for illegal ones thats a huge problem. there are also a large number of underaged kids smoking. legalization simply cuts down on resources spent on limiting, otherwise lawabiding, citizens from exercising their right to do what they want with their body. taxing it increases govn't revenue and increases the govnts access

  • @mickGPN yes lawyers.

    if you did even a tiny bit of research, you would know that, but it is quite clear from your assumptions here in these comments, that you have done next to no research as to who all are behind the case & the case its self.

    ~aymi

  • @SmilingSkeptic - I’ve made a video, S-collectives, explaining why so-called safe-working-practices for the sex-industry are just a sticking plaster for the sex-industry to hide behind. (Complete with stats from pro-decrim sources) Another, S-provider, asks if you would also support 'rights' for women who wanted to 'work' as punch-bags? // But for some reason, you won’t accept them as response videos, and want me to write it all out as a series of comments instead. Is there a logic behind that?

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