Arrest in killings helps, but street sweeps threaten sex workers: expert

[Mister T 45020]

From [URL="http://metronews.ca/news/ottawa/541403/arrest-in-killings-helps-but-street-sweeps-threaten-sex-workers-expert/"]Metro Ottawa[/URL]

An arrest in relation to the murders of two sex workers brought a â??tremendous sense of reliefâ? to the community, according to advocate Emily Symons.

But Symons, the chair of Prostitutes of Ottawa/Gatineau Work, Educate, Resist (POWER), said more needs to be done to increase safety for women in the sex trade.

â??Itâ??s been over a year since then Chief Vern White issued his warning to women and sex trade workers in Ottawa, and we certainly havenâ??t forgotten about that,â? said Symons on Thursday. â??But weâ??re also very concerned because we feel that policing in Ottawa puts sex workers at risk.â?

Symons comments came hours after a press conference at police headquarters, where Police Chief Charles Bordeleau confirmed Marc Leduc, 56, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the death of Pamela Kosmack, 39, and Leanne Lawson, 23.

There, Bordeleau urged women in the sex trade to be vigilant and safe. Bordeleau said sex workers should keep to well-lit areas, work in pairs, and contact police if they donâ??t feel safe.

â??Their safety is important to police, and that help is available,â? Bordeleau said.

Symons said that, if police really want to improve sex workersâ?? safety, enforcement has to change â?? starting with a moratorium on â??street sweepsâ? and mass arrests.

â??When sex workers fear that the police are going to conduct a street sweep, then they may abandon these safety strategies,â? Symons said.

At the press conference, Bordeleau would not say if police are actively investigating whether Leduc was involved in the murders of four other sex workers in the Ottawa area â?? but neither did he rule that out.

â??Weâ??re here today to speak about the two homicides, the ones that Leduc has been charged with,â? said Bordeleau. â??Obviously we are looking at all our other unsolved homicides to see if there are any investigative opportunities with respect to those.â?