“We’re your daughters, your mothers, your aunts and your cousins,” says Valerie Scott, a wavy-haired redhead with a raspy drawl. “Next time someone makes another gratuitous insult about sex workers, challenge them on it. Defend us in public, because that’s how people’s rights start.”
Scott is a sex worker herself. A former Haligonian, she is now executive director of the Toronto-based Sex Professionals of Canada, which is mounting a legal challenge against three laws targeting sex work in the Canadian Criminal Code. SPOC expects to cross-examine witnesses before the Ontario Supreme Court in April.
The national icon for the workers’ movement was invited to Halifax by Rene Ross, executive director of Stepping Stone, a local outreach program for sex workers. Scott addressed about 150 people at the Italian Cultural Centre last Thursday, a talk purposely scheduled between the federal and municipal elections, when the public is thinking about government’s role in public policy.
“We wanted to do a big public education piece,” says Ross. “The city makes some of the bylaws that affect sex workers and the community has a lot of questions about it.”
SPOC advocates for the decriminalization of sex work, as exists in New Zealand and certain states in Australia. This is not to be confused with legalization, in places like Nevada and Germany, where the government controls sex workers and their conditions as opposed to giving them the freedom to organize themselves.
In Halifax, Ross is concerned with a district of sorts that is in effect.
When sex workers are arrested on solicitation charges in Halifax or Dartmouth and want to be released without going in front of a judge, they have to sign a release condition, which includes a map that states if they are found in a certain area, they’ll be arrested again with a more serious charge.
Constable Jeff Carr of the Halifax Regional Police says these boundaries have been in place for as long as he can remember, and encompass problem areas in the north end and Dartmouth.
Ross points out the boundaries include places like Stepping Stone, the North End Health Clinic and Direction 180, the methadone clinic.
Many program users are in jail because of breach of boundary charges, says Ross, adding that this year, the number has more than doubled from 32 charges in 2006, to 75 so far in 2008.
“Sex workers who come to Stepping Stone for support are being arrested for going to the store,” she says. “They’re being arrested for walking up the street and waiting for the bus.”
Program users tell Ross violence towards sex workers has increased this year. She says when police crack down on boundary laws, sex workers aren’t as cautious with the clients they choose, and often take rides to outskirts of the city, such as industrial parks, where violence is more likely.
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to give concrete statistics for sex worker violence, because many victims won’t notify the police for fear of being arrested for prostitution.
Similarly, to avoid mandatory reporting by hospitals, sex workers sometimes show up at Stepping Stone after they’ve been badly beaten or raped.
Dr. Michael Goodyear, a professor at Dalhousie, has organized an international research network made up of academics who challenge laws that prosecute sex workers and produce reports critiquing the government.
“Public policy, particularly around health issues, ought to be based on empirical fact instead of knee-jerk reactions and prejudice,” he says, adding that arresting sex workers is like pushing down on a water-bed—it displaces the problem. “I promote people first and what they do second.”
Ross says sex workers need community support, because citizens influence the law. When people in a neighbourhood complain about a brothel on their street, the police make arrests and shut it down, often leaving the sex workers homeless. “Some of the community sees us as running around promoting prostitution, but we’re promoting treating people as people,” she says. “People’s choices need to be valued and that’s at the core of Stepping Stone.”
This article appears in Oct 23-29, 2008.
How about people who go to sex workers are your brothers, your cousins, sons or friends? How about thinking it from the other side of the coin: with no demand there would be no supply. In addition to simply being people, sex workers have a demand in Halifax, and as such, Halifax has a responsibility for their safety. Furthermore, your argument that sex work is illegal and therefore these people should not enjoy basic civil liberties such as the right to safety is extremely flawed. There are many laws, in many countries, now and in history, that are sexist and racist among other forms of prejudice. How would having sex workers protected negatively affect your life?Finally, in the spirit of sarcasm, good on those “members of society who are following the laws and contributing back”. Good on them for complaining about a brothel, a house that facilitates illegal activity, and good on those who have denounced queers, people who have had pre-marital sex, and people who have spoken negatively about the government, which were at some point in time, in some countries, illegal acts as well.
Can’t Smell the Salt, you are ridiculous. You don’t even know how to spell “Oh No!” And, yet you talk about being educated and think that you’re somehow better than these women. Sounds to me like you’ve had options in your life. But, it doesn’t seem that you have any idea how it feels to live without options.Sometimes people do what they have to, and sometimes the only way to make sense of your own life is to take control the only way you know how. Clearly you know nothing about that state. Shame on you. Judge not lest you be judged. I’m ashamed that sex workers are targeted by the laws while soliciters walk free.You have a duty as a Canadian to protect those that aren’t protected… if you don’t like it… this country wouldn’t miss your self-righteous high horse.
If it wasn’t for sex worker there would be more rapes. sex is good for sale benifits everyone as long as your safe about it. 80% of most males in the world have been with a sex worker, but some wont admit it. Knowing about men that are married or in a relationship it gets boring for them after awhile, being of such a sexual nature men need change once in a while to help there relationship and make them feel good about themselves. Its like having the same favorite food everyday, you eventually get sick of it. You switch to something different and when you go back to you favorite meal it taste so good again.
Most sex workers are safe when it comes to condoms and fluids being transferred. Some are not, mostly the one’s that are on Drugs that don’t care or the one’s that are new to the business that don’t know any better.
I strongly feel that it should be mandatory for new sex workers to take a course on safe sex. Some have there pimps that help them by telling them how to conduct business in a clean, safe manner. I strongly feel that sex workers need them to keep them from falling in to drugs, being tricked by a john in anyway, reminding them all the time to be safe and most of all for their safety. Most sex workers that don’t have them are more likely to turn to drugs and and have unsafe sex with johns. Because they don’t have anybody to trust or to go home to. Seeing johns every day and having no man by your side can make any worker eventually get lost in the johns that they see, believing all the lies that come out of there mouths and start doing things unsafely.
There are good pimps and there are bad one’s. The good one’s are mostly their boyfriends, that take good care of them and have them working inside in a safe environment. The bad Pimps are the only one’s that have the workers out on the streets They claim a territory on the streets, treat them like shit, don’t care about them and take all there money. I would rather sell love then poison. Selling drug is like murdering someone slowly. Your fucking somebody’s life up, to the point where they will never be the same.
I stongly believe prositution should be legalized and regulated. Sex Workers should be allowed to have good pimps (management) and bodyguards to take care of them and workers should have to take a course on how to work safely. This would make the sex industry more safe for both johns and workers. Being the oldest profession in the world, that will always be around they may as well make it safe. Remember Jesus’s best friend was a prostitute, some say it was his wife.
She walks like water, floating gently through a fleeting thought….I could drown just thinking of the way she walks. Ode to L.L.
For what are hopes, but slender ropes fastened to our dreams. Sometimes dreams are where we like to live…and reality is the nightmare.