Susie 1472 Report post Posted August 19, 2009 i am launching an anti- anti trafficking campaign...campaign...............please e-mail salvation army and help us stop ever increasing violence and de stabilization of our industry anti trafficking campaings by groups like the salvation army in vancouver made the police raid AMPS, where VPD entered guns drawn everyone on the floor... scaring the workers to death ( is this how we treat victims of trafficking?)and took no supports or interpreters for the victims of trafficking many of whom spoke very little english and then when it was discovered the workers weren't trafficked.....they were deported. so now, they won't call police when they are robbed or assaulted because police intimidate them and they don't want to be deported. we knew it would cause harm but we had no idea how bad it would get.... first the asian sex worker killed in burnaby. then tony(security guy) killed in yaletown defending the lives of 2 women during a robbery, now an asian massage parlour worker is missing? i wonder how rape relief and miss farely feel about all the harm they've caused with their anti trafficking campaign and subsequent raids/ deportations and lack of trust for police generated amongst these workers... also, it seems like even more workers are migrating here as a result of anti trafficking campaign claims of "big money" for the sex industry during the games (which has been proven untrue-it will be a bit of an economic crash -if you want the report message me or go to PIVOT we site) it's seems they are causing the very thing they tried to prevent...... they lobbied vancouver and BC governments and police to enforce bawdy house laws to "save" the victims of trafficking with no consideration for the safety or stability of adult consentual sex workers ....and look at the outcome.... i just wonder if they have any conscience at all about all the sex workers they have harmed....... i am not victim!!!!i am strong and chose sex work....i am not on drugs or sexually abused ....i come from a good familyand my parents are good people. Attacks on sex workers in particular female sex workers by other women result in great pain and in some cases death for the workers affected. In the past women went as far as to create an ad campaign depicting sex workers as evil and as the vectors of disease. I have even seen a poster depicting hitler, the emperor of japan and a sex worker all arm in arm and the caption reads "the worst of the three".Their campaign of speeches, posters and radio spots was so broad and far reaching that this stigma exists to this day. We can see in the high numbers of women reportedly attacking sex industry community members and in the way feminist abolitionist groups still promote sex industry workers as victims, helpless, easy targets, on drugs and unable to defend or look after our selves. This latest campaign of hatred has gone on for 100 years some of us refer to it as the prohibition war. Since the beginning of this war human rights have come to the fore front and now the sex industry community is seeking recognition as a distinct culture deserving of protection under the charter. We hope to end the campaign to ?end sex work? and have our rights to choose employment, be protected from hate propaganda against us, and to be protected from discrimination based on who we are. abolitionists promote hatred of sex workers and cause wide spread harm with their arogance....attacking me personally when i try to speak publically and sending uniformed children to disrupt events that could impact our safety and create change. i challenge salvation army to justify their work in vancouver, the subsequent raids and the harms/deaths it has caused. 7 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lowdark 5613 Report post Posted August 19, 2009 Your frustration and your angr is totally justified and I can only imagine how upset you, as a legitimate, self determined worker is the sex industry truly is. The stigma surrounding prostitution is the work of centuries of political propaganda and unfortunately can't be slain be in our lifetimes. What people don't seem to understand is that the best way to protect women who are either the victims of trafficing, abuse or forced into prostitution at an illegal age is to legalize the sex trade. That way a set of guidelines can be adopted to protect the women (and men) who choose to work in the sex trade, preventing the kind of abuse and exploitation that happens. It can also curb drug abuse and the spread of STDs (as proven by the European countries where prostitution is leagal). There are so many advantages to legalizing prostitution (economic, social, health) that you have to wonder why no one has seriously championed it. And that boils down to money. Politicans are guided by two things, money and the polls. No social or political change is ever affected without a wealthy lobby backing it. If special interest groups representing Gay and Lesbains had the resources to own the right politicans, same sex marriage would be legal in the United States. The same for legalization of marijuana and other harmless drugs (while the same governments that outlaw such immaterial substances rake in billions of dollars from the taxes on tobacco and alchohol products as well as hypocritical lawsuits because of the public health problems such products cause). Prostitution needs a lobby to promote the advantages of legalizing it while purchasing the necessary politcal voices to represent it in the halls of power. At the same time, said lobby can advance a sort of education campaign trying to dispell the incorrect myths around the industry as well as condemning the illegal activites like trafficing and underage exploitation. This would even include offering to work with police to report such conduct and counsel victims afterwards 9instead of simply deporting them to a country where chances are women are considered second class citizens or porperty). It's an uphill battle that would take an incredbile amount of courage to fight, let along money and the knowledge that for every small victory there would be a dozen defeats. But I wish you luck in your efforts and hope you can stand true. One piece of advice though, if you wind up talking to any politician for any reason, don't trust a single word that comes out of their mouth unless you've made a sizeable campaign donation. And even then . . . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Susie 1472 Report post Posted August 20, 2009 so here's what i have so far.....if any one wants to, send off an e-mail to the addresses below. we are going to picket a fundraiser they are having and i want to do a press release as written below, if anyone has any comments or edits please let me know.... and where ever you are contact your local offices too... International Bill of Human Rights Article 20 All propaganda for war shall be prohibited by Law Any advocacy of national, racial, cultural or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law. ?Lies ARE Sexy? The Salvation Army?s ?The Truth isn?t Sexy? anti-trafficking poster campaign has set a new standard in ?low? featuring pictures of women being abused, a young Asian girl being kicked on the street and an under aged sex worker being stomped on the head on the floor. Anti trafficking campaigns by abolitionist groups have prompted police services all over Canada to raid massage parlors in particular businesses employing workers of Asian decent. The racist and anti immigrant tone of these raids is clear in the targeting of mostly Asian businesses and workers. So far we know there have been raids in Halifax, Ottawa, Grand Prairie, Vancouver, Winnipeg, London, Hamilton, Barry and Calgary. It also seems Niagara Falls are warming up to "get rid" of their prostitution problem too. The system at large believe we are all pimped, trafficked, on drugs and victims with no choice in what we do- they see no distinction between workers on the street, high end escorts, exotic dancers or adult film performers. The same is true of sex industry business owners and consumers in the stigma that casts us all. In a police raid there is no warning. Police will enter the premises in high alert. In exotic show lounges this is done by a show of force through great numbers of officers in uniform and carrying guns entering as a group and intimidating everyone present. In a raid of a micro brothel or massage parlour the violence is a step up to where doors are kicked in, guns drawn, everyone is put on the floor and hand cuffed. Supports are seldom provided and for the most part workers are treated like criminals These are standard operating procedures for Police Services and are intended to protect police from unseen threats such as guns or other weapons during an operation. Police, as most of Canadian society believe all sex industry community members are forced into working and so also believe officers will be at risk during raids as a result of organized crime involvement. These can be extremely frightening experiences and can lead to emotional trauma. Campaigns such as the Salvations Army?s ?the truth isn?t sexy? have gone on in Canada for 100 years. In the past people went as far as to create an ad campaign depicting sex workers as evil and as the vectors of disease. Even a poster depicting Hitler, the Emperor of Japan and a sex worker all arm in arm was created and the caption stated "the worst of the three". Their campaign of speeches, posters and radio spots was so broad and far reaching that this stigma exists to this day. We can see in the way abolitionist groups always promote sex industry workers as victims, helpless, easy targets, on drugs and unable to defend or look after our selves and in the Salvation Army?s depiction of violence against sex workers, skewed data on their web site and total lack of respect for the people they are harming. In Vancouver 3 members of the Asian sex industry community have been murdered as a result of this arrogance and many safe working environments have been lost. No one supports exploitation of youth, but that does not make it ok to contribute to perceptions of sex workers as abused victims who need rescuing. The photos are extreme and unnecessarily sensational and are a fund raising tactic. Why doesn?t the Salvation Army campaign feature pictures of seamstresses in sweat shops or migrant farm workers? The Salvation Army are deliberately capitalizing on society?s fear of the sex industry and doing it to make money. Apparently lies ARE sexy....and they are exploiting it?? I challenge the Salvation Army to justify this anti trafficking campaign, the subsequent raids, the harms, loss of safe work environments and deaths it has caused. We respectfully request the Salvation Army end the ?truth isn?t sexy? campaign. If you would like to support the lies ARE sexy campaign against the Salvation Army?s ?the truth isn?t sexy? campaign please contact: First?....esther? joyce? Me??. Or if your organization would like to support the Lies ARE Sexy campaign by sending a letter to the Salvation Army please contact; Jonathan Michel, Public Relations The Salvation Army BC Division, [email protected], (604)296-3819, c. (604) 340-6324; Brian Venables, Director of Public Relations & Development, The Salvation Army BC Division, [email protected], (604) 296-3821, c. (778) 227-7291 Or Zoom Media the company hosting these posters on their billboard space; 910 Richards St. Suite 206 Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 3C1 T: 604-709-5625 F: 604-709-5630 [email protected] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
