Canadian Supreme Court Ruling Affirms Human Rights of Sex Workers

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[B][U]Canadian Supreme Court Ruling Affirms Human Rights of Sex Workers[/U][/B]
By Kate Zen, [URL="http://truth-out.org"]Truthout[/URL]

[B]December 24, 2013[/B]

[URL="http://truth-out.org/news/item/20814-canadian-supreme-court-ruling-affirms-human-rights-of-sex-workers"]http://truth-out.org/news/item/20814-canadian-supreme-court-ruling-affirms-human-rights-of-sex-workers[/URL]

[QUOTE]
[I]A landmark decision, Bedford v. Canada, passed at the Canadian Supreme Court on Friday, struck down all three anti-prostitution laws in the Canadian federal criminal code and recognized sex workers' rights to occupational safety.
On Friday, a landmark decision was passed at the Canadian Supreme Court: In a 9-0 unanimous ruling, all three antiprostitution laws in the criminal code were struck down in Bedford v. Canada.

Many people mistakenly believe that prostitution is now "legalized." But prostitution has never been illegal in Canada. However, several related activities were criminalized: Sex workers were prohibited from communicating with clients on the street, which would create a public nuisance. They were also prohibited from working indoors in "bawdy houses," where they could conduct their business more safely. Anyone who benefited from prostitution, including the boyfriend or girlfriend of a sex worker who unknowingly shared the rent, and the landlady, driver, bodyguard, or accountant of a sex worker, could be considered a "pimp," and therefore a criminal.

These laws effectively isolated sex workers and prevented them from screening their clients and negotiating for safe sex practices, directly contributing to violence and harm in the sex industry.

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