Prostitution Laws a Mess in this Country

[Sweet Emily J 172062]

[B][U]Prostitution Laws a Mess in this Country[/U][/B]

MADELINE ASHBY | December 9, 2014

[URL="http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/ashby-prostitution-laws-a-mess-in-this-country"]http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/ashby-prostitution-laws-a-mess-in-this-country[/URL]

[QUOTE]
After weeks of campaigning from activists in the womenâ??s rights and sex workersâ?? rights communities, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has set her sights on Bill C-36, the Tory-led legislation that was ostensibly intended to answer the Supreme Court of Canadaâ??s ruling that laws against prostitution are unconstitutional. She has asked Ontario Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur to advise her on the constitutionality of the law, which went into effect this week. Under the Courts of Justice Act, Wynne can instruct prosecutors not to enforce the law until its constitutionality is determined.

In [URL="http://nowtoronto.com/news/premier-wynne-blasts-bill-c36/â??"]her statement[/URL], Wynne said that her â??priority in this debate is to ensure that our laws and institutions enhance the safety of those who are vulnerable â?? in this case, sex workers: a class of (mostly) women, who are disproportionately the victims of sexual and physical violence. So I believe that there is merit in considering whether the Conservative governmentâ??s new legislation meets that test.â?

Wynne joins a growing list of policymakers and advocates who are skeptical of the law, including 25 Toronto city councillors and editor and CEO of NOW Magazine Alice Klein, who [URL="http://nowtoronto.com/news/now-statement-on-canada%27s-new-anti-prostitution-laws/â??"]stated[/URL] that her publication would not be obeying the lawâ??s prohibitions on the advertising of sexual services. â??There is a high price to be paid for resisting the norms of stigmatization and sexual shaming,â? she said. â??Those in sex work truly bear the brunt of this price. It took 10 years and a very real body count of murdered women and tragic violence to win the constitutional challenge that overturned the laws last year.â?

[URL="http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/ashby-prostitution-laws-a-mess-in-this-country"]Read More...[/URL]
[/QUOTE]