Considering problems with the Nordic model

[Sweet Emily J 172062]

[B]Sex Work Law Reform in Canada: Considering problems with the Nordic model[/B]

[URL="http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=2103"]http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=2103[/URL]

From the [URL="http://www.aidslaw.ca"]Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network,[/URL] this is a published briefing paper discussing human rights related to sex work, and compares the nordic model to recently repealed Canadian laws. Also provides recommendations for future legislation.

[QUOTE]
[I]In Canada, two cases have been making their way through courts in Ontario and in British Columbia, challenging provisions of the Criminal Code that deal with sex work. While sex worker activists who promote the human rights of sex workers argue for the complete removal of prostitution laws that criminalize sex workers (known as decriminalization), others propose alternative models of criminalization.

Known as the â??Swedishâ? or â??Nordicâ? model of regulating sex work, this model has been proposed as an alternative to the current regime of criminalization. This model â?? adopted in Sweden, Norway and Iceland â?? criminalizes the purchase of sexual services, most indoor sex work and promoting and â??living on the avails ofâ? sex work.

Given the strong prospect that at least some of the challenged provisions of the Criminal Code may soon no longer form part of Canadian law, it is important to consider the impact of the Swedish model on sex workers and whether it is a constitutional â?? and therefore legal â?? alternative, or if it merely replaces one unconstitutional set of laws with another.

This policy brief considers the impact of the Swedish model on sex workers and, in light of its harmful effects, argues that this approach would not withstand constitutional scrutiny in Canada.

[URL="http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=2103"]Read More...[/I][/URL]
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