Sex Industry Association

recent additions....

as a definition at beginning;

 

Regional Government Review Board- The sex industry is a matter of concern for all members of Canadian Society. To ensure transparency and accountability in the sex industry the CAEC propose the formation of a review committee to represent the interests of society at large. The CAEC feel that if representatives from criminal justice, health, government and a sex industry community member were to audit and monitor the activities of the CAEC, we will achieve transparency and accountability for within the sex industry.

 

under vision and goals

 

• To ensure transparency and to prevent abuse of Industry Association benefits, CAEC members support the formation of a Regional Government Review Board to ensure ethical industry practices are upheld and the ideals of Canadian Society respected. All CAEC locals and members will allow free access to membership information and proposed activities by the Regional Government Review Board.

 

• To abolish exploitation of youth or any person forced to engage in or trafficked into the sex industry.

 

under confidentiailty

 

• For the purposes of Regional Government Review Boards as described above, all information related to CAEC membership and proposed activities will be made available for scrutiny. Members of the Regional Government Review Board will be expected to maintain confidentiality of disclosed information unless it is found to affect the life, health or safety of a person.

 

Bump!

How does that relate to the topic of this thread?  I'm not saying it doesn't - I'm just wondering what we're supposed to take from that, in relation to Susan's project.

Janice Raymond addressed this in a Parliamentary subcommitee here (at 1740). Where prostitution is decriminalized, johns go to illegal sources because they are more numerous, cheaper (enslaved women, lower standards), but mostly because police stop laying charges - even against pimps and johns in illegal operations - as part of the general decriminalization ethos.

 

Well, martin lack of police enforcement of the law is  seperate issue that should be tackled. "The general decriminalization ethos" does not include ignoring written laws. Prohibition of alcohol has ended, but does that mean police ignore underage drinking or drunk driving? Police are also horribly negligent in terms issues involving rape and violence against women in other areas. This fits in with that and the general devaluation of women by our justice system. It should be tied to decriminalization of prostitution. Women (and all human beings) should have the right to own their bodies and consent (as adults) to do what they wish with them.

wow martin, you just won't listen.....i and my compatriates are not trafficked and pimped and your assertions of organized crime control are not based in reality. please, if you are going to argue points at least back up your assumptions in researc findings. assumptions like yours are killing us.

 

i agree remind, we could identify exploititive businesses alot mre easily in a decrim environment. 

martin, those many women are welcome to post on this board, as is susan. Please stop speaking for them.

Your agressiveness here (and elsewhere with susan) is creeping me out.

At least sex work can't - as of yet - be outsourced to India.

Hmmm, interesting, I would never consider a snuck smoke, as being more pleasurable than just having one. I would be too paranoid of getting caught to enjoy it.

Nor would I care if my hidden pleasures become mainstream. That is if I had any. ;)

Is this broadly a male thing or, something, that has no sex lines, and is just sub set of people types?

~

Susan, the girls rescued last night in Edmonton, as noted in the article most definitely were being pimped, and they were being forced, in the extreme, to do so.

Now is this typical for "massage parlours"? I ask because you have stated that this type of business owner would have a seat at the table. I disagree with the notion that they should be. Either the workers are independant, and have to be able to prove so, or they belong to a unionized busines.

Thus, I would be personally in favour of it being completely regulated by the existing governing bodies, such as those who look after labour rights, health board certification and regulation, and other "plant inspectors" so to speak.

And there would have to be penalities for johns who try and frequent illegal operations, perhaps of a criminal nature after so many charges of other types.

And for those who were working under the table, well income tax could become involved, as well as breach of health regulations.

Hmmm, interesting, I would never consider a snuck smoke, as being more pleasurable than just having one. I would be too paranoid of getting caught to enjoy it.

Nor would I care if my hidden pleasures become mainstream. That is if I had any. ;)

Is this broadly a male thing or, something, that has no sex lines, and is just sub set of people types?

I don't know about it being a broadly male thing; I suspect it's even across gender lines but the way it's expressed is different, generally from one gender to another.    But it's a phenomenon.  Some people like to play with the taboo.   That's why legalization/regulation isn't a panacea.

 

Oh, I've never suggested it  was an excuse to do nothing.  When we talked  about this before,  that's what  I said.  Clearly, something has to be done, and Susan's approach, or variants of it, is the way to go.

But it doesn't solve everything, and it's not going to end street prostitution and the sexual exploitation of women overnight.

Clearly, changes to our drug laws and health care treatment for substance abuse figures largely into this.

And, there has to be a change in the way we think about our sexuality, with heavy and particular emphasis on the way men connect power and control with sex, and how easily they rationalize to their convenience interpretations of consent.

 

no, it is not typical but is becoming more so as destabilization continues. i too am not in support of abusive practicies or exploitation of any person and you seem to capture our intentions as far as our industry association, we want labour rights, health, free choice to exit no forced sex work, as well as penalties for those operating outiside of what is accepted as ethical by all canadians. as a society we can negoatiate terms of ethics and minimum labour standards together and ensure workers are not exploited

it is percisely incidents like described in edmonton that require us to begin to work towards transparency and accountability in the sex industry. power to workers, tools to make safe decisions, accountability for businesses exploiting people and consumers supporting those businesses. sounds awesome!!

i understand, we are also suspicious of mainstream community. we must find common ground and find a balanced approach that ensures inclusion of sex workers in any discussions or decisions that could impact our safety. we must embrace an inclusive process to ensure mistakes and over sights of the past are not repeated. only by including all perpsectives will we create an environment of protection for workers. i also am in agreement about government bodies regulating as is done in other industries, i just feel we as an industry must also take part in stabilization and accountability. i say self regulate, but i guess i mean in partnership with government. we don't want special treatment different from other industries, we just want equal treatment and safety at work.

Though I do not believe the sex industry should regulate itself, in any way shape or form.

 

I was being flipant, I'm not in favour of any "self regulating" professional body-- on any issue, it's a given.

 

all great ideas!!!i would suggest also, disabled men/consumers being represented. to ensure incusion for infirmed patrons and future sexual service provision as a care plan...i have met many disabled men in my career. your ideas reflect reasons why we must work together and share ideas to ensure all aspects are covered.

The reality is jas, it is not going to be stamped out any thime soon. Society has to make way huge changes before it ever would just dwindle away from non-use. Well men's thinking actually.

Thus it is incumbent upon us, to make it as safe as possible, of a work line pursuit.

susan, I want to thank you, again, for your words and for sharing your experiences with the folks here on babble.

Please come back.

I note Susan herself liked Tommy's post.

Me too. Just because most men don't try to comment on a thread like this doesn't mean we're not reading.

I think that given the existing information we have about the results of the legalization of sex work it's incredibly sad to see it promoted here.  Laws are not designed for the individual they are designed to protect the population as a whole. 

It has been illustrated that legalization of sex work results in increased trafficking of women and children and no reduction in harm because the illegal sex worker industry explodes.  Sex workers report increased pressure to not use condoms and there is downward pressure on their fees.  It results in an increased objectification of women.  It attracts sex tourism.  I shudder at the thought of Montreal full of horney men looking for prostitutes. 

 

not true, no marked increase in trafficking and exploitation occured in ustralia or new zealand. average age of sex workers in australia is 32 years old. please, provide research ethics board reviewed data or government documents as per canadian government policy. nowhere does legitimate data suggest this.

martins choices to use language he knows upsets me and to provide no legitimate or REB reviewed backup is a bit aggressive. i am an active sex worker and expals are not. i respect some workers are exploited in my industry but not 85% or whatever number is being promoted now.i respect martin's right to hisopinion but would like to point out...martin is not a sex worker and has never had to risk his life for food or shelter. refusing to acknowlegde what researchers and governments all over the world are coming to understand based on morale issues is killing us. expals promote one experience, theirs and ask the world to paint us all with the same brush. i am not a victim, my cohorts are not victims and we are tired of these myths about our lives being perpetuated to forward some political or morale goal of abolition. we must as a society begin to move away from punishment and towards protection.

 

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/austral.htm

There are 3,000 children, some younger than 10, in the Australian sex industry, which includes brothels, escort work, street prostitution, pornography, sex for favors and stripping. (EPCAT report, Agence France-Presse, 13 April 1998)

59 of 2,992 prostitutes studied for a report conducted by EPCAT were between 10 and 12 years old. 15 were under 10 years old. Two-thirds were girls. (EPCAT report, Agence France-Presse, 13 April 1998)

Child prostitution in Australia was studied by ECPAT, which collected information from early 471 government and non-government agencies working with children. The study, the first of its kind, revealed a vicious cycle leading to child commercial sexual activities. Links were found between young people being sold and youth homelessness, dysfunctional family backgrounds and lack of self-esteem. The government and public should act immediately to provide housing, income security, education and advice to young people. Children are also sold to sex tourists. Parents have been found to sell their own children.

    * More than 1200 Victorian children are involved in prostitution - the highest rate in the nation.
    * 320 Queensland children were involved in child prostitution.
    * More than 3100 Australian children aged 12-18 sold sex to survive.
    * Children younger than 10 were involved in organized pedophile rings.
    * Child pornography was not limited to the inner cities but was increasing in rural and regional areas.

The main reasons children were sold for sex were for accommodation, food, alcohol, clothes and drugs. (Sarah Hudson, "Child sex soaring," Herald Sun, 30 September 1998) and ("Children, 10, swapping sex for groceries, drugs," Courier Mail, 30 September 1998)

so you, like martin refuse to acknowledge government of canada findings?

 

Overview of Different Legislative Approaches

 

http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/prb0329-e.htm

 

 

Each of the countries and states examined in this paper relies on a variation of one of the following five approaches to prostitution:

Prohibitionism seeks to eliminate prostitution by criminalizing all aspects of the prostitution trade. Under this approach, prostitution is seen as a violation of human dignity. Criminal law and effective law enforcement are viewed as critical tools in reducing the number of individuals involved in prostitution.

Decriminalization implies the repeal of prostitution-related criminal law. In Canada, decriminalization would involve repealing all criminal law relating to prostitution, including communicating for the purposes of prostitution, operating a bawdy house and/or brothel, and living off the avails of prostitution.

Legalization refers to the regulation of prostitution through criminal law or some other type of legislation. This approach treats prostitution as a legal occupation, but nevertheless controls it by a set of rules that govern who can work and under what circumstances they may do so. Typically, governments that have adopted the legalization approach regulate the trade through work permits, licensing and/or tolerance zones.

Abolitionism is often described as the middle ground between prohibitionism and legalization. Advocates of this approach maintain that even though prostitutes may choose to enter the trade, it is nevertheless immoral. They believe that governments must take the necessary steps to allow prostitution to take place only as long as it does not infringe on public safety and order. Generally, abolitionists call for the criminalization of public solicitation.

Neo-abolitionism holds that prostitution violates a person's human rights. Advocates maintain that there is no such thing as free choice in this matter - prostitution in all its forms constitutes the sale and consumption of human bodies. While neo-abolitionists call for the decriminalization of prostitutes themselves, they encourage governments to criminalize the activities of procurers and customers.

 

Australia

Responsibility for criminal legislation in Australia falls primarily on individual states. States may take very different approaches towards the management and regulation of prostitution, as exemplified by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the state of Victoria.

A.  Australian Capital Territory (Decriminalization With Controls)

In 1992, the ACT adopted the Prostitution Act, aimed at managing the worst effects of the prostitution industry. (6) While the Prostitution Act decriminalizes prostitution in private spaces, it nevertheless sets up a series of regulations designed to protect sex workers and the public at large. Its goals are to:

1. maintain public health;
2. protect the health and safety of prostitutes;
3. limit the operation of brothels to particular places; and
4. eliminate the sexual exploitation of children.

 

Unlike most other Australian states (such as Victoria), the ACT does not license prostitutes, brothels, or escort agencies. Rather, it requires members of the prostitution industry to register with the Registrar of Brothels and Escort Agencies. Registration is not difficult, nor is it a particularly lengthy process. Every year, individuals who wish to register themselves or their businesses must provide their contact information to the Registrar and pay a small fee. According to the government of the ACT, registration is preferable to licensing because of its ease and efficiency. (7)

By all accounts, the registration system appears to be meeting its goals. While the ACT (like many other Australian states) continues to prohibit street solicitation, very little of it seems to occur in practice. As Sullivan points out, "this is probably because other employment opportunities in the sex industry are readily accessible." (8) Moreover, due to the relative straightforwardness of the registration process, there appear to be very few illegal brothels and escort agencies.

Until 2002, the Registrar of Brothels and Escort Agencies did not have the authority to deny registration to any prospective owners of such establishments. Critics charged that the ACT allowed "undesirables" to enter the prostitution industry, particularly those who had been involved in criminal activity. (9) As a result, the government introduced an amendment to the Prostitution Act in 2002, requiring employers and operators to submit to a criminal background check. Any individual convicted of a "disqualifying offence" is currently not permitted to own or operate a brothel or escort agency. The "disqualifying offences" listed in the schedules of the Prostitution Act include assault, murder, sexual assault and involvement in child pornography and exploitation. (10)

Another key objective of the Prostitution Act is to safeguard the health of persons involved in prostitution and the community at large. The Act includes several provisions designed to stem the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Prostitutes employed in brothels and escort agencies must undergo mandatory STD testing. Those infected with an STD are prohibited from providing sexual services, and owners and managers of brothels and escort agencies must not allow an employee to work if that person is infected.

While some critics have denounced compulsory medical testing, many have applauded the government's attempt to make all parties responsible for preventing STD transmission. (11) Rather than targeting just the person selling sexual services, the Prostitution Act makes it illegal for anyone to "provide or receive commercial sexual services" knowing that they are infected with an STD. Consequently, sex workers are believed to be in a better position to resist pressure from their clients (and/or their employers) not to use a condom. (12)

The Sexual Services Industry Code of Practice was first introduced in 1999 for the further protection of sex workers and their clients. (13) Employers and/or operators of brothels and escort agencies are required to provide facilities that meet health and safety standards. The standards, which were developed by a collective of sex workers, police officers and health officials, include regulations on cleanliness and safety, as well as the purchase and disposal of "personal protective equipment" (such as condoms and other prophylactics). There remains some concern, however, that not all members of the prostitution industry are aware of their rights and responsibilities. One organization, Workers in Sex Employment (WISE), has called upon the government to take "a [more] proactive role in the education of brothel owners and sex workers." (14)

Barbara Sullivan, one of the foremost scholars on prostitution in Australia, argues that, in sum, "[t]here are some clear advantages to the ACT system." There appear to be very few illegal brothels and very little street solicitation. Brothels are largely confined to industrial areas, because of the ACT's zoning requirements. Moreover, prostitutes' advocacy groups are satisfied with the ACT's focus on occupational health and safety. A collective of stakeholders in the sex industry continues to consult the government on ongoing issues. (15)

In assessing the ACT's approach, it is important to note the Territory's distinctive history with regard to this issue. Even before 1992, the ACT pursued a policy of toleration and control. Persons involved in prostitution were not charged unless a complaint had been lodged. Moreover, sex workers already enjoyed a fairly cordial relationship with the police and other community members. According to Sullivan,

The good relations which prevail between the industry, the government and the public ... are probably unique in Australia. Only in Canberra do brothels organise well-attended public open-days (complete with barbeque) and host contemporary art shows ... (16)

It is likely, therefore, that this history helped to iron out issues that could have provoked much more controversy in some other parts of Australia, such as Victoria.

 

B.  Victoria (Legalization)

While some forms of prostitution have been permitted in Victoria since 1986, the sex industry is currently governed by the Prostitution Control Act, which came into force in 1995. (17) Some debate remains, however, over exactly what approach Victoria has chosen to take. While some commentators refer to the Prostitution Control Act as "decriminalisation with controls," (18) others suggest it more closely resembles legalization. (19) Regardless of the definition, it is clear that the government of the state of Victoria seeks to control the sex industry through legislation.

The government sets out a number of aims in the introduction to the Prostitution Control Act (1994). They include:

1. to prevent the sexual exploitation of children as well as limit their exposure to the prostitution industry;
2. to shield communities from the negative aspects associated with prostitution;
3. to reduce criminal involvement in the running of the prostitution industry; and
4. to safeguard the occupational health and safety of prostitutes while protecting their clients from any health risks.

Contrary to the situation in the ACT, however, questions have arisen from all sides about whether the Prostitution Control Act is actually meeting its goals. Critics have questioned the Act's ability to ensure that sex workers are provided with proper working conditions, as well as its capacity to shut down illegal brothels and escort agencies. (20)

 

In Victoria, individuals and businesses selling sexual services are required to be licensed. The licensing process is much more in-depth than registration in the ACT. The Business Licensing Authority requires prospective owners to submit to a police check and an assessment of their financial affairs. More generally, the Prostitution Control Act requires applicants (and their associates) to be "of good repute, having regard to character, honesty and integrity." These requirements are designed in part to prevent organized crime from infiltrating the prostitution industry. The government also hopes that licensing will prevent individuals from flouting the regulations set out by the Prostitution Control Act and the state's occupational health and safety code. (21) Sole operators and two-person brothels are exempt, and thus do not have to apply for a licence.

Some critics argue that Victoria's licensing system discourages prostitutes from setting up their own small brothels. The stringent licensing requirements are one deterrent. Another is the often-high costs of running a legal brothel or escort agency. (22) According to the Business Licensing Authority, the annual licensing fee for a brothel with more than two people starts at A$2,218.90 (approximately C$1,735). It costs prostitution service providers another A$416.10 (C$315) for each additional room. (23) All brothel owners must comply with specific regulations dealing with cleanliness and hygiene, as outlined in the Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations.

Yet another critical factor in discouraging sex workers from starting their own businesses is the requirement for all brothels and escort agencies (whether large or small) to obtain a planning permit from their local city council. While city councils are not permitted to deny prospective owners a permit on moral grounds, they must follow the strict zoning requirements outlined in the Prostitution Control Act. Prostitution establishments are prohibited from operating in any residential neighbourhood and must be located more than 200 metres away from any school, hospital or place of worship. Prostitutes who live in residential areas are thus forbidden to establish a business in their own homes. Moreover, the strict limits attached to the planning permits tend to facilitate the development of large brothels at the expense of small ones.

Consequently, critics argue, legal prostitution in Victoria tends to be monopolized by large, expensive brothels. (24) For example, the Daily Planet in Melbourne operates a hotel-style facility with 18 rooms. Its management estimates that between 100 and 150 women work there regularly. (25)

Currently, an estimated 100 licensed brothels operate in Victoria. (26) Those unable or unwilling to work either in large or "exempt" legal brothels must risk significant criminal penalties by either running their own illegal brothel or engaging in street solicitation. (27)

Critics have also questioned Victoria's approach to prostitution in light of the seemingly uncontrollable expansion of illegal prostitution within its borders. Estimates in 2003 suggested that up to 400 illegal brothels were operating in the state. (28) Communities across the state have called upon the government to strengthen the Prostitution Control Act in the hope of cracking down on unlawful prostitution. (29) Street solicitation is also a major problem in Victoria.

The government of Victoria continues to grapple with how best to regulate, and ultimately control, the prostitution industry. While the Prostitution Control Act was designed to curb many of the most harmful aspects of prostitution (including street solicitation, criminal involvement in the trade, and risks to health and safety), it is not clear that the legislation has achieved its desired effect. Neither sex workers' rights groups nor community organizations have been particularly supportive of the law since its inception. Nevertheless, it does not appear that the state is planning to revamp its approach to prostitution in the near future. Rather, the government appears to be concentrating its efforts on enforcing the current provisions of the Act, in the hope of bringing about long-term social change.

New Zealand (Decriminalization)

In June 2003, New Zealand undertook radical reforms to its prostitution laws, decriminalizing adult prostitution by repealing a series of century-old laws prohibiting solicitation, operation of a brothel, and living off the avails of prostitution. The Prostitution Reform Act (PRA) (30) was introduced as a private member's bill following many years of debate, and passed in Parliament by only one vote (60 to 59, with one abstention). Before the bill was adopted, prostitution had not been illegal in New Zealand, but because of the various prohibitions, it had been almost impossible to sell sexual services and remain within the law.

Before adoption, the Prostitution Reform Bill had been referred to the New Zealand Parliament's Justice and Electoral Committee, which held hearings in three major cities, heard evidence from relevant government ministries and police, and considered experiences from other jurisdictions, including Australia, that had decriminalized and legalized prostitution. The committee tabled a report in June 2003 recommending that the bill be passed with amendments. (31) The committee's report made it clear that the bill was "not intended to equate with the promotion of prostitution as an acceptable career option but instead to enable sex workers to have, and access, the same protections afforded to other workers." (32) As stated in section 3 of the PRA:

The purpose of this Act is to decriminalise prostitution (while not endorsing or morally sanctioning prostitution or its use) and to create a framework that -

• safeguards the human rights of sex workers and protects them from exploitation;
• promotes the welfare and occupational health and safety of sex workers;
• is conducive to public health;
• prohibits the use in prostitution of persons under 18 years of age; and
• implements certain other related reforms.

 

The PRA was ultimately designed to stop the sex industry from going underground. The objective, in letting sex workers and prostitution establishments come out into the open, was to create safer and healthier environments for persons selling sexual services. As noted by Jan Jordan, who was commissioned by the New Zealand Ministry of Justice to review the literature on the sex industry,

[t]he campaign for law reform was supported by a highly diverse range of people, motivated by a desire to see a more equitable and practical solution. Many of those supporting the reform were clear that they were not condoning prostitution itself, but recognizing its current existence within society and the limitations and inadequacies of existing legislation. A harm minimisation approach was favoured by many, and the resultant legal changes sought to reflect such sentiments. (33)

 

In practice, the PRA tolerates street prostitution and allows independent sex workers to work in an unregulated environment. No "red light" districts were created. Indoors, the new law allows up to four independent individuals to operate from the same location without a licence, while more than four individuals, or those working for a third party, are regulated and must have a licence to operate. There are no restrictions on the number of people that can work for one operator. Operator certificates are granted and held by the Registrar of the Court, which ensures that the identity of operators remains confidential. (34)

The PRA placed significant responsibility for regulating brothels, including zoning, licensing and advertising, in the hands of local governments. (35) Local governments may regulate advertising through bylaws, based on considerations as to signage advertising prostitution is likely to cause nuisance or serious offence to the public using the area, or whether it is incompatible with the character of the area. (36) Local governments also retain the power to pass bylaws to control offensive behaviour, provided that such bylaws do not prohibit prostitution altogether.

Other generic laws regulating businesses are now applicable to the sex industry, with special provisions determining issues such as age limits and constraints on who can sell sexual services or own, finance, operate or manage a prostitution business. Small owner-operator brothels are managed under local government rules for small home businesses. Occupational health and safety codes have been expanded to include prostitution, and inspectors have the authority to enter a premises believed to be a prostitution business at any reasonable time to ensure compliance with the Health and Safety in Employment Act, and to ensure that the operation, prostitutes and clients have adopted safe sex practices. Such safe sex practices entail individuals involved taking all reasonable steps to ensure that condoms are used, and employers making free condoms accessible. Operators must also provide health information to persons selling sexual services and their clients. (37)

To combat exploitation, the PRA addresses the issue of trafficking in persons by denying immigration permits to anyone who intends to work in, invest in, or operate a business of prostitution in New Zealand or who does so while living in New Zealand on a temporary permit or limited purpose permit. (38) Penalties against exploitative practices, including harsh penalties for clients and operators surrounding the commercial exploitation of children, have also been strengthened. (39)

Since 2003, there have been many attempts to reverse these legislative changes. One anti-prostitution group sponsored a petition to repeal all of the Prostitution Reform Act, but fell short of the signatures needed to force a referendum on this issue in 2005. (40) Concern about the PRA comes primarily from groups who feel that decriminalization has led to a rise in prostitution in the country.

In an attempt to combat some of the effects of the PRA, some local governments in New Zealand have used their powers to strictly regulate the sex industry. Public pressure against allowing persons to sell sexual services out of their homes has resulted in the adoption of some regulations that make it difficult to set up small brothels in certain jurisdictions. In Auckland, a proposed bylaw to control prostitution does not distinguish between different sizes of brothels, thus subjecting prostitutes working from their homes to the more stringent limitations that are placed on large-scale brothels. In regulating the location of prostitution activities, local councils have also come under pressure from constituents who want to avoid the nuisance aspects of prostitution in their neighbourhoods. As a result, cities such as Aukland have chosen to restrict brothels to certain inner-city and industrial areas. Several cities have implemented regulations banning the location of prostitution establishments within the vicinity of schools, daycares, government buildings, and places of worship, as well as in residential areas. In some cities, these limitations have made it almost impossible to find a location where it would be legal to practice prostitution. This use of local regulatory power to essentially prohibit, or severely limit, prostitution has frustrated advocates of decriminalization, who see that the impact of the PRA has been seriously mitigated by such local controls.

As a way to effectively assess the impact of the legislation, sections 42 and 43 of the PRA required the Minister of Justice to appoint an 11-member Prostitution Law Review Committee made up of individuals nominated by the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective and the ministers of Justice, Women's and Youth Affairs, Health, Police, Commerce, and Local Government to review the PRA as soon as practicable after the Act came into force. That evaluation was released in May 2008 (41) and generally concluded that the effect of decriminalization had been positive thus far. The committee examined statistics, and concluded that, contrary to public opinion, there had been no dramatic change in the numbers of people involved in the sex industry since the PRA had come into force. The committee stated that street prostitution accounts for only 11% of prostitution in New Zealand, and that the only real complaints about street prostitution since 2003 emanated from Christchurch and Manukau, cities that are also dealing with a range of other social problems. The committee felt that, in these cases, the effects of street prostitution are best dealt with by proactive measures at the local level, through the local government, police and nongovernmental organizations.

Concerning exploitation, the committee found that 60% of sex workers felt that they had more power to refuse clients under the PRA than without it, and only 4% said they had been pressured into the sex industry by another person. The committee found that 1.3% of persons in the sex industry were under 18 years of age. This did not represent an increase in numbers, and the committee commented that the PRA had, in fact, managed to raise consciousness about sexual exploitation of children. The committee did not, however, find any significant improvement in employment conditions.

Regarding local government regulation of the sex industry, the committee noted that most local governments had not seen the need for significant regulation in their jurisdiction, and that many of those that had implemented regulations were simply being cautious, not responding to real issues. Cities that did implement severe regulations, such as Christchurch and Manukau, were most often responding to a wide range of social problems that were not necessarily related to prostitution. However, the committee expressed concern that some local governments had attempted to make single-owner-operated brothels move into the same commercial areas as larger brothels. The committee noted that such an arrangement is both impractical and even dangerous for sex workers and stated that single-owner-operated brothels should be regulated in the same way as other businesses run from the home. The committee pointed out that courts had struck down some bylaws, such as Auckland City Council's Brothels and Commercial Sex Premises Bylaw, which severely restricted locations where brothels could operate. Finally, the committee expressed concern that some onerous regulations that had been implemented at the local level under the Health Act and Local Government Act, such as high licensing fees and restrictive health and safety requirements, could force brothels underground. This would be contrary to the purpose of the PRA.

Ultimately, the committee's report concluded that despite some local frustrations with respect to street prostitution and the operation of single-owner-operated brothels in residential neighbourhoods, decriminalization of prostitution in New Zealand was working. Kinks were being smoothed out, and generally, prostitution and trafficking were not on the rise, sex workers were positive about low levels of exploitation, and awareness was growing about the sexual exploitation of children

tanx!!i will!i just did a great live interview on CTV newsnet!!!

love susie

Oh puhleeeze...

 

How can I refuse to acknowledge something I've never seen?  And you call Martin aggressive?

The goal of the registration system seems to be to get people to register voluntarily so their success doesn't mean anything to me either way.  I am concerned by the statement that "there appear to be very few illegal brothels".  What is "very few" and how has this been determined.  Why only "appears"?  The issue of trafficking and minors isn't addressed either.

Barbara Sullivan is one of many scholars on this topic. From a business perspective this report seems quite positive but I don't see business concerns as the major consideration.  I'm sure there is tons of money in prostitution. Where are the happy hookers surveys where the majority of hookers claim that they are now happy and healthy due to legalization?   Are the accounts of arrests and discovery of hundreds of children in prostitution all lies?

What about http://xpalss.org/ , Ex-Prostitutes Against Legislated Sexual Servitude

Are their views to be discounted because they don't have a representative here to present their perspective?

I bet they didn't survey any of the illegal prostitutes. 

To combat exploitation, the PRA addresses the issue of trafficking in persons by denying immigration permits to anyone who intends to work in, invest in, or operate a business of prostitution in New Zealand or who does so while living in New Zealand on a temporary permit or limited purpose permit. (38) Penalties against exploitative practices, including harsh penalties for clients and operators surrounding the commercial exploitation of children, have also been strengthened. (39)

I doubt human-traffickers ever considered applying for permits so I am not sure how this is intended to control them.

 

There's a previous open thread about this whole development, SG, where susan first introduced herself. Unfortunately, that thread went kinda south the way this one is.

 

ex workers, not active, workers un affected by any change to legal framework. i always acknowledge experiences of exploited workers and do not deny they exist, as they deny i exist

 

i bet they did interview illegal sex workers as we do here in line with accepted harm reduction frameworks.

 

also, if you are not familiar with issues and claim to have not seen, perhaps you should read up a bit before commenting. if i seem defensive it is because i am constanly under attack by people who have no understanding of the way we live or our goals.

 

i suggest starting here;

 

http://www.steppingstonens.ca/

http://www.cncew.ca/

http://www.nakedtruth.ca/

http://www.rodedraad.nl/

http://www.scarletalliance.org.au/

http://www.coyotela.org/

http://www.empowerfoundation.org/

http://www.durbar.org/

http://www.prostitutescollective.net/

http://www.nzpc.org.nz/

www.wccsip.ca

www.chezstella.org

http://www.maggiestoronto.ca/

http://sites.google.com/site/powerottawa/

 www.livingincommunity.ca

i am meeting a client so can't argue anymore...a woman must work sometime.....

 

 

i hope i never suggested other wise.....i just am frustrated by misinformation is all....

Please point me to the post where Susan was told she isn't allowed to speak.

The only person who was told they shouldn't speak was Martin.

Just different viewpoints and perceptions of information. I agree with that.

For me prostitution is not a moralistic issue but one that centers around "work" and the politics of the personal is political and the political is personal.

I would not advocate or suggest prostitution is a good career choice for my 3 female daughers, thus, I would not suggest that for "others".

I wish that protitution was safer for the individuals in this field and at the same time I wish that it didn't exist as I see it sexually objectifies all women.

I do not see myself as being on one side or another in this debate, kind of a rendition of, "you are either with us or against us."

Helping for example, "our poor sisters" by legalizing prostitution distresses me on a social and economic justice level - as it suggests to me that I'm oking sexual exploitation for some.

As an aside, I don't like gambling casinos. I believe that the "work" is unprogressive although in this regard the workers are not exploited, just that what is produced does not benefit society in a social good.

In a unscientific survey - straw vote so to speak - I asked many workers in this industry if they would prefer doing other more progressive work - at the same wage, benefits, safety and so on. Not one said to me that they would prefer the industry they were in. It was about job availability and good pay.

In the end, it is about social benefit for the individual and society.

 

right Remind.

 

Are you saying you represent all or most sex workers in Canada?

Are you saying that no one other than current sex workers has a right to contribute to the discussion? Not even ex-sex workers?

Are you saying society as a whole has no right to set minimum wage laws or zoning laws or any other law that limits individual freedoms?  I believe that sex work of all kinds impacts me personally. I have every right to have an opinion on the topic. I do not have to be a bookie or a gambler to have an opinion on the impact of gambling on society. I do not have to be a boxer to be against a sport in which the goal is to physically damage another person's brain however willing the participants are.

You appear to be claiming that:

A: Only current sex-workers have a right to have an opinion on this topic.

B: You represent the voice of all or a significant majority of sex-workers.

C: Anyone who disagrees with you is supporting violence against sex-workers and is trying to impose antiquated morals on you.

D: Canadian citizens who are not sex-workers have no right to pass laws against sex-work?

You don't need to convince me of anything and I am not labeling you immoral nor suggesting that your voice shouldn't be heard and respected.  I do have experience with the sex industry but I don't believe I have to share that with you or anyone else in order to have the right to an opinion. I have no interest in protecting you from you since you are clearly delighted with your profession.

Nevertheless, whether you like it or not, everyone in Canada has a voice and is permitted to have opinions on activities in Canada even if they have no direct experience.  Whether or not it is fair the laws governing sex-work are unlikely to be decided on by actual sex-workers because most Canadians including lawmakers do not have a history with the industry.

Your reliance on personal attacks and strawdog arguments make me suspicious because you appear to be capable of communicating on a more sophisticated level yet you choose not to. In my personal experience when people move on to personal attacks it is because they can't back up their position any other way.

I think I would support that becoming a hate crime but I would want to hear counter-arguments if any exist.  Personally I can't think of one.

Most illegal activities are kept secret. I am sure smuggling is also a "distinct and secretive culture".  I have no problem owning that woman are most likely the driving force against prostitution but I don't believe they are the driving force behind the stigma although they may be an equal part of it. Just because men use prostitutes it doesn't mean they consider them equal or even equal to their wives daughters and girlfriends. Some men who use prostitutes might be fine with their daughters becoming one, especially if they are high-class call-girls, but I am willing to bet the grand majority of men would not want any woman they respect to be paid for sex-work.

Do you think prostitution only became stigmatized when it was made illegal? I am proud not ashamed of the women who strove to make it illegal to use women for sex in exchange for money. While I am strongly against prohibition I think gambling laws are good.  Laws against drugs, gambling, alcohol and prostitution (sex wasn't illegal) did not make drug users, gamblers, drinkers or sex-workers illegal as people. It make those activities illegal.

That's a terrible thing. At that time epilepsy was also considered a mental illness and mental illness remains stigmatized to this day. I imagine "REAL women" also has that attitude privately if not publically. However, I don't think most feminists or ex-sex worker organizations who against full legalization as opposed to decriminalization for prostitutes have that attitude.

I'd like to see some numbers on that or at least a few specific verifiable incidences of these regular attacks. Even so I would be surprised if women attacking sex workers represents even 1% of the violence against sex-workers.

While I completely agree that not all sex workers are helpless victims incapable of defending or looking after themselves some definitely are in that position. While the anti-prostitution groups and individuals *may* focus on them too much (which I would dispute) you seem to believe they don't exist at all. That all prostitutes are happy to exchange sexual intercourse for money and sex work would be a lovely wonderful professional choice for young women if only it weren't illegal.

Brothels could set up booths at job fairs and high schools and offer free training so young men and women could consider it for the future.  Just think, the sign over the booth could say "Earn $100,000 your first year!" Governments could fund trade schools like they do for plumbing and carpentry.

prostitution is NOT illegal in canada. all aspects to make it safer are illegal.....bawdy house-working from home- communicating- not being able to negotiate terms of work before getting incar or even lookng for weapons in car etc before getting in....

i am founder and director of canadian adult enterntainment commission, spokes person for BCCEC bc coalition of experiential communitesand founder and director of canada's first sex worker cooperative, west coast cooperative of sex industry professionals.

  as far as "just being a member" and you not understnading numbers, by-law revisions-BCCEC project- salvation army  campaign- input by all people in  numbers listed and my releasing press releases and making statmemts based on everyones input. or instance i never felt we talking about raaids being anti immigrant and racist was a good idea but people i consulted felt it was important so i included it.   BCCEC- The British Columbia Coalition of Experiential Communities (BCCEC) is a consortium of sex worker activists who work to eliminate the oppressive systems and forces that create harm for individuals within the sex industry. We operate under the principle that members commit to creating an environment of inclusion and change.   WCCSIP- Vancouver sex workers expressed their desire to explore cooperative business models as a way to generate alternative sources of income, increase health and safety, build community capacity and begin to take control of our collective destiny. The cooperative cooperation was formally incorporated in February 2008 and is known as the West Coast Cooperative of Sex Industry Professionals.   CAEC- The Canadian Adult Entertainment Commission is a consortium of people who have experience either working within, providing services to, running a business in, or purchasing services/products of the sex industry and agree to work towards the common goals of health, safety and stability in the sex industry BCCEC members all represent different genres of sex work, so we all bring numbers of workers to the table. in particular exotic dancers are not as stigmatized and so take part in larger numbers more openly. escorts are becoming more willing but still fear being "outed" and so are taking part but not wanting to be to public, so i speak out. in our on-line forums we make real progress. anyone can take part and be anonymus...sort of...as we are never really anonymus on line... and people do, some revisionfor instance around decision making were revised as well as wording of sections related to confidentialaity and terms for supporting customers and business owners, very contreversial amongst workers and finally agreed upon by all. SA campaign is on going as fundraising continues and no active or migrant sex workers were ever consulted during design of supports. we will be meeting major veneables and discussing our concerns. many sex workers, as seen in numbers, feel offended and insulted by violent images used to raise money, dod you read my post about sweden's model by a sex worker? it doesn't seem to be as good as people claim...as well as safety of workers on street are is not improved. so, to be clear, i represent BCCEC,CAEC andWCCSIP. news reporters are going to say whatever they want to say. prostitute, sex worker is generally all they say. if they even mention 1 organization i represent i am happy. google my name...i have done over 300 media interviews have been in elle magazine and chatelaine, live on BBC world...always i am a sex worker or prostitute and sometimes orgs i represent are mentioned. it's the whole "a real live prostitute" thing...makes people buy news papers and is good for ratings...SEX....and VIOLENCE....

If de-criminalization/legalization of prostitution leads to the de-marginalization of sex workers, then that in itself would be a positive outcome.  Perhaps then, society (if that's the right term) can begin to get past the stereotype, and recognize the fragility beneath the hardened venir. 

one more thing Info saturated, we want decrim....not legalisation. areas of australia are experiencing problems with legalisation and i would spare canadian sex workers harm as a result of government "trial and error" approaches as seen in legalisation models. 

and please use teminology we, sex workers are calling for. prostitute is the word which embodies our oppression. i am a sex worker. if you continue to call me a prostitute i will no longer answer your comments.

respectfully,

i wasn't talking about "sex industry stakeholders" i was refering to workers only being called prostitutes.

Bump!

From the Canadian Union of Public Employees - Canada's largest union - a 2004 background paper (in MS Word format):

I recommend reading the full document.

Libby Davies - from September 2002, still featured on her website:

Federal Solicitation Laws Put Sex Trade Workers at Risk

Sure, remind. I'm just trying to explore where some leaders of progressive opinion in the union movement and its allies stand on decriminalization and protection of the rights and freedoms of sex trade workers. The reason for multiple postings is that we now have FOUR THREADS on the sex trade issues going simultaneously, with pretty well the same debates in all. Why, do you think Libby's remarks are off-topic here?

 

 

The Sex Industry

The sex industry is often referred to as the adult entertainment industry. Although many disciplines could be argued to be "sex industry," most people think of street-based sex workers, exotic dancers, phone sex operators, dominatrices, adult film stars, and escorts, when they think of the sex industry.

Sex industry workers are people (including male, female, and transgendered) who provide a sexual service -- be it fantasy or reality -- for money.

For the purposes of Trade Secrets, we use the term "sex industry workers," "sex workers", and "adult entertainers" interchangeably.

The sex industry is made up of many different genres and disciplines including but not limited to the following examples. We provide these examples to assist your understanding of the guide as you read. For a more extensive list, see the Glossary located at the back of the guide.

Adult Film

Adult Film and Photography
Movies and photos with adult oriented sexual content; including but not limited to categories such as soft-core, hard-core, max hard-core, BDSM and fetish activities.

Adult film and photography talent/model/performer
Adult who performs and/or models in adult oriented films and photo shoots.

Adult film and photography companies
Private businesses that operate adult film and photography studios, productions, sessions for DVD, Internet or photos.

Fluffer
Person who sexually arouses adult film actors on set in order to prepare them to perform.

BDSM Work

An acronym for ‘B&D'(bondage & discipline); ‘D&S' (dominance and submission); and ‘S&M' (sadomasochism). A ‘Sadist' is one who obtains sexual enjoyment by watching and/or inflicting pain on another. A ‘Masochist' is one who obtains sexual enjoyment from receiving pain, humiliation and/or being dominated.

The term "BDSM" describes any situation or practice that involves erotic power exchange - dominance and submission, pain play, bondage, sensation play, or anything related to these activities.

BDSM work refers to any consensual activities between adults including some or all of these things, but on a professional level (we're getting paid for it).

Dominants and Submissives are employed in this industry. An additional role includes those who work as 'Switches'. A Switch is one who changes from dominant to submissive roles, depending on the scene.

Fetish Work

With respect to sexual activity, a ‘fetish' is defined as anything that sexually arouses a person, such as a foot fetish or a leather fetish. Fetish work is when someone offers fetish services for money. It can involve practices relating to BDSM.

Female Exotic Dancer

A female exotic dancer is an entertainer who performs seductive striptease to music, taking off her clothes until she is naked, or wearing very little. An exotic dancer may perform for a large or small audience, individuals or couples in strip clubs, nightclubs, or at private parties. The term exotic dancer encompasses features, showgirls, and house dancers.

Feature
The highest paid exotic dancer performing at a club is called the feature. Feature shows are generally interactive, with elaborate costumes, props and themes. In Western Canada, the feature is usually the highest paid showgirl, but she shares a common job description with the other dancers. In Ontario and Quebec, the feature is often the only dancer paid to dance on stage.

Showgirl
A showgirl is skilled at holding an audience's attention using dance and/or other specialized skills (pole work, acrobatics, gymnastics, fire shows, theme shows, etc) and by responding to the audience's reaction(s).

Common in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, showgirls are usually booked on stage for weeklong contracts and work Monday to Saturday, with a day off and/or switch clubs on Sunday. They do not have a home bar and travel is often required. Showgirls are paid per show and are not compensated for their entertainment expenses, additional time, floor time, or travel expenses. A strong advantage of showgirl work is a guaranteed paycheque at the end of the week.

Private Dancer / VIP Dancer / House Dancer
A house dancer is an exotic dancer whose primary income comes from selling dances one-on-one in a private booth for individuals or couples. While on shift, house dancers are often required to do stage rotation, performing on stage for free, or for little pay. House dancers may be on shift by the bar, or may pay a drop in fee to the bar in order to work. House dancers have the advantage of sleeping in their own bed at night and have the stability of a steady place of employment. However, income can fluctuate dramatically as it depends on the sale of dances. Private dancing is common in Central and Eastern Canada, and becoming more popular in Western Canada.

Male Exotic Dancer

A male exotic dancer is a man who performs erotic dance or acrobatic movements while removing all or part of his clothing for an audience of gay men or heterosexual women. Male exotic dancers are often body builders and are usually very well-toned and muscular.

Contracted under different rules and regulations than female exotic dancers (in part due to there being fewer opportunities for paid male performance), male dancers are generally paid more for their shows with their shows lasting longer than female exotic dancers shows. Male dancers usually have another job that provides the bulk of their income.

Male exotic dancers perform in either a group (troupe or revue) or solo format to pre-recorded music that may follow a theme or exhibit similarities from song to song. Solo performers are required to perform more often than revue/troupe performers.

Male dancers commonly "tie off" which is a process that consists of tightly wrapping a thick elastic around the base of the penis when fully erect to maintain its girth for an extended period of time, presenting the visual effect of full arousal. This can be done as often as necessary.

Many clubs do not permit nudity, so the dancer is prohibited from exposing his penis. In some Alberta communities, licenses are required for nudity whether the dancer is male or female.

Live Erotic Performer

A live erotic performer provides sex shows that may or may not include contact with the audience or an individual customer. The performance may be on stage or in person. Some examples are burlesque dancers, peep show workers, auto-erotic performers (who masturbate in front of an audience), fetish performers, or anyone who performs sexual acts on stage or in front of clients during private sessions.

Peep Show Performer (Booth Baby)

A peep show performer engages in sexual activity - usually provocative dance, striptease, masturbation, or by sexually engaging with another performer - while the customer watches from a private booth. The booth is fitted with a window or shutter that opens when money is inserted into a coinbox or money slot. Typically, private booths surround a stage, separated from the performer by glass, and there is no contact between the performer and the audience. In some places, the performer may have the option to perform privately inside a customer's booth for an additional fee.

Some peep show establishments offer coin-operated booths showing adult films, and in some places, video booths have replaced live performers.

Phone Sex Operator (Phone Sex Actress, Adult Phone Entertainer)

A phone sex operator is a paid professional who engages customers in sexual fantasies over the telephone via what are known as adult chat lines. Phone sex operators may use suggestive language, role-play, sexual confessions, and real or simulated masturbation with customers.

Web Cam Worker

A web cam worker performs sexual acts online, such as role-playing, striptease, masturbation, ejaculation, urination, BDSM, or other fetishes. He or she performs before a camera with the content displayed on a website that customers pay to access. On many sites, web cam workers may engage with clients in a chat room while they are performing. Web cam workers may perform alone, with a sexual partner, or with other performers (i.e. duos, orgies, circle jerks). Many adult web sites are geared towards particular themes (i.e. amateurs, fetishes, age, ethnicity and/or sexual orientation).

Sex Worker / Escort / Courtesan

A sex worker directly provides agreed upon sexual services in exchange for money or other payment.

Street-based Sex Worker
A street-based sex worker finds and/or serves his or her clients outside. Many cities and communities have specific areas (called strolls) where outdoor workers can be found. Sometimes these are strategic locations where, for example, there is a lot of traffic, convenient places for a client (or john) to pull over, or in the vicinity of a target market. However, often times they are forced work in dark, isolated and/or industrial areas to reduce their visibility to police and other community members.

Escort Service Worker
An escort service worker is a sex worker who traditionally only visits clients on an "out call" basis, meaning the worker would attend the patron's residence or hotel room for the encounter. Escorting may or may not include sexual contact, however, the client generally expects that sex will occur. Escort service workers are sometimes employed to travel with their clients on vacations or business trips or to accompany them for dinner or to an office party.

Independent Escort
An Independent Escort is a sex worker who does not work for an escort agency, massage parlour, or health enhancement center, but works as a sole proprietor or free agent. An independent escort may entertain clients in their home while some rent other locations such as studios or hotel rooms, as a work site. An independent escort may or may not do outcalls or travel with clients.

Massage Worker/ Health Enhancement Center Worker
A massage or health enhancement center worker is a sex worker who works in a retail or licensed business establishment on an "in-call" or on-site basis. Sex or full service is not always provided but a body massage followed by sexual release in the form of a hand job is generally expected. The level of contact is usually the choice of the worker with a wide variety of work environments ranging from fantasy rooms to beauty parlours exist.

Escort Service
An escort service or agency is a sex industry business that is intended to enable sex industry clients and workers to meet safely on an ‘out-call' basis. An escort service traditionally provides advertising, security in the form of a driver, a call back service in the form of a booking girl, and access to the business owner's regular clientele. An escort service covers its costs and makes a profit by collecting a percentage of the escort worker's hourly wage.

Massage Parlour/ Health Enhancement Center
A massage parlour or health enhancement center is a sex industry business that operates as a retail or licensed business establishment on an "in-call" or on-site basis. The business traditionally provides a secure work environment, advertising and access to the business owner's regular clientele. A massage parlour or health enhancement center business covers its costs and makes a profit by collecting a percentage of a worker's wage or by charging a fee for the use of an on-site room where services are performed.

Glory Hole Worker
A glory hole worker is a sex worker who, for a fee, provides sexual services anonymously through a hole in a wall or door. Some glory hole workers erect false walls in the entrance of their residence where the client enters, inserts his penis through the wall and receives sexual service. Others establish a more discreet location such as a public bathroom. A glory hole worker may perform, fellatio (BJ), a hand job, or full service however fellatio is generally expected. A glory hole is an anonymous and safe work environment and is generally run by independent sex workers.

Transgender Sex Worker
Transgender sex worker is a broad term that refers to any individual selling sexual services whose gender expression (physical, emotional, spiritual) differs from their biological or genetic gender. Transgender sex workers may choose to alter their appearances as a personal expression, feeling that they have been born into the wrong physical body and/or may do so in order to appeal sexually to a customer's specific fantasy or fetish.

Hustler
Hustler is a slang term often used by men to characterize their involvement in sex work, however, not all hustlers are sex workers. A hustler can be anyone who works freelance for themselves to make fast money in order to survive. Hustlers are typically clever, cunning, quick-witted and develop a keen sense of street smarts. Some classic examples of a hustler are pool sharks, card tricksters and sleight-of-hand artists.

H.U.S.T.L.E.R. as an acronym sums it up well and may stand for- 'How U Survive This Life Everyday...Resourcefully'.

many workers are in and around the sex industry and need rights and protection

 

...technical difficulties...

I'm concerned about that aspect of sex work as well.  The percentage of women "in the business" that were sexually abused as children is extremely high even if percentages reported vary.  That percentage most likely overlaps with the numbers of street kids and drug addicts. PTSD and mental illness is a frequent outcome for kids that have been abused, or homeless, or drug addicted from a young age. As a society we failed them, betrayed them, in their formative years.

It seems very cynical to say okay, now that you have turned 18, we are going to "respect" your "choice" to provide men with sexual services because now that you are 18 you can get paid to be abused. As a direct result of child abuse they are ill-prepared for normal work so is this a genuine choice on their part? Sure they will say yes, nobody made me do it, but they also say in large numbers, 90% or higher, that they want to stop.  It's almost as though the child abuse is an appreticeship for their "career" once they reach adulthood.  At least for this segment of the population giving them decriminalization as a solution is legitimizing their abuse, telling them that men have a right to buy sexual services.  It is a further confirmation by society that women's bodies are a product.

take a look at www.livingincommunity.ca a city wide iniative i sit on the steering committee of. it recommends cooperatively run safe work space and our industry association. gabor mate is a great man and has an incredible insight.

about street level sex worker or more specifically survival sex work as some of us have defined it on occassion. addiction is a symptom of complex post traumatic stress disorder. now trauma takes many forms. such as my friend who comes and works withbme is 58 years old. she has been a sex worker for 44 years and sonce about 1990 on the street. many people describethe STES as a war zone and i submit to you it is the front line of the prohibition war and because of ghettoization of services all people needing supports for cptsd end up in the same community.my friend has been in the war zone for 19 years and a sex worker longer than i have been alive. the second world war lasted 6 years...to put it in perspective.

we held a series of workshops ad consultations in this regard with the support of the

 

 

Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder                                                        

www.bccec.wordpress.com

Background BCCEC

The BCCEW was formed out of two regional meetings of women in and from the sex industry in 2002 and 2003.  Renamed the BC Coalition of Experiential Communities (BCCEC), members include men and women from across the province who have over 30 years combined experience in advocacy, research, service delivery and management, and well over 50 years experience in all facets of the sex industry.  Members have founded, operated or significantly contributed to eight sex worker organizations including the BC Coalition of Experiential Men.  Mandate: The B.C. Coalition of Experiential Communities works to inspire experiential leadership toward the elimination of oppressive systems and forces that create harm within the sex industry. 

 

It was identified during the BCCEC "Confronting Bad Dates: Research, Collaboration and Action to Reduce Violence against Survival Sex Workers project" that:

• § provincial victim services were unavailable to collaborate on strategies like the redesign and distribution of a new Bad Date sheet and a 1-800 line for reporting violence;
• § the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General victim support services were largely unknown and had barriers to accessibility by sex workers;
• § Sex workers who had past experiences with Victim Services shared that their identification as sex workers limited or eliminated their chances to receive supports; inclusive of counselling and compensation.

 

These issues led to Victim Services attendance at the Confronting Bad Dates March 2007 multi-stakeholder meeting and later collaboration on victimization issues among sex workers. 

 

With financial support from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, monumental alliances were built and sex workers had access to training from a leading professional psychologist in the area of Post Traumatic Stress. 

 

Additionally, sex workers and community organization staff members peer reviewed "The 411" a document created by the BCCEC, based on literature developed by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

 

 

 

Activities

 

1. Members of the BCCEC reviewed and vetted the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General brochures and resources for the purposes of creating an accessible document for sex workers and service providers.  This document incorporates tips on what to do if one becomes a victim of crime and identifies resources, techniques for emotional health, rights information and information on all other relevant topics;

 

1. The BCCEC had the privilege of utilizing Victim Services funding to host two Post Traumatic Stress Meetings among sex workers and front line staff July 26th and 27th, 2007.   The July 26th meeting was attended by over 20 front line workers from Vancouver, Richmond and Surrey health and sex work organizations in addition to experiential professional working on the front lines.  The July 27th meeting was intended to be exclusively for experiential professionals and active or former sex workers.  There were around 12 individuals in attendance.  Issues that limited these numbers were the timing of this second meeting. 

 

1. During these meetings;

 

 

• Sex workers learned that very little work has been done to research the levels of PTSD experienced by sex industry workers in particular those who work in the dangerous street level environment. Some sex workers had been on the street for more than 30 years and had endured and witnessed unimaginable violence and hardship.

 

• Sex workers expressed that this environment was akin to a war zone and that the levels of PTSD affecting us could be compared to those affecting soldiers who have served in a war zone, Vietnam war veteran's or holocaust survivors.

 

War Zone

1: a zone in which belligerents are waging war; broadly: an area marked by extreme violence

2: a designated area within which rights of neutrals are not respected by a belligerent nation in time of war.

 

• Sex workers learned how the children of trauma survivors or the children of holocaust survivors show a distinct set of symptoms and noted that trauma on these levels for this extended period of time will affect generations of people for years to come.

 

• Sex Workers acknowledged that the residential schools disaster has had a great impact for first nation's people and first nation's sex workers. The group acknowledged that a strategy specific to first nation's sex workers would be absolutely necessary.

 

• Sex workers identified being re traumatized or made to feel unworthy by police, service providers, social workers, nurses and many others when seeking to report violence against them, access support or find assistance.

 

• Sex workers now understand addiction as a symptom of or coping mechanism for post traumatic stress and as such mandatory sobriety to access services becomes harmful to those using drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. These barriers are seen as one of the greatest contributors to society's failure to address these issues in a way that does not compromise people's safety.

 

• Sex workers now understand that the misdiagnosis of our symptoms has lead to wide spread harm through out our community. With symptoms that can be as extreme as hallucinations and strongly resemble the symptoms of schizophrenia, many have been prescribed mind altering drugs that they do not need and in fact harm them.

 

 

• Sex Worker Support Workers expressed frustration at the gaps that currently exist in services ie, mandatory sobriety.

 

• Sex Worker Support Workers expressed how lack of sex worker specific programming creates problems for finding safe places for sex workers.

 

• Sex Worker Support Workers expressed frustration with sex workers suffering with the symptoms of PTSD and now have a greater understanding of it's causes and effects.

 

• Sex Worker Support Workers now have greater understanding of complex PTSD and it's symptoms as it relates to vicarious trauma for the support workers themselves.

 

• Sex Worker Support Workers expressed a will to move forward together to design a strategy to raise awareness, capture best practices and fill the gaps that currently exist.

 

 

 

Recommendations and Next Steps

 

Information provided by the psychologist was in direct conflict with practices and policies of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.  For example, PTSD was noted as being cumulative however those who experience violence over long periods of time and who access Victim Services for compensation or counselling must link their trauma to one incident at one particular time.

 

In order to recognize PTSD among sex workers and provide them with the counselling and support they require, more research needs to be done to define the disorder among sex workers.  With empirical evidence, advocacy initiatives influence policies that currently exclude our most vulnerable members from the services they desperately need;

 

A series of focus groups/work shops which engage all stakeholders will work to identify gaps, increase awareness of complex PTSD, increase understanding of factors contributing to PTSD amongst sex workers, and create a strategy which can be embraced by the systems responsible for caring for sex workers that ensures the problems of the past are addressed and eliminated.

end of report.  

How to work within abstinence based funding environments                        

WCCSIP

 

 

 

With all of the information emerging about the symptoms of PTSD, addiction as a coping mechanism and the dangers associated with interrupting people's coping mechanisms, it's difficult to find ways to ensure no harm within abstinence based funding environments. "Get clean" or off of drugs to receive support policies are compounding emotional harm for trauma survivors and are in direct conflict with the recommended treatment for such injuries. If you interrupt a person's coping mechanisms before they are ready to deal with their injuries, their emotional stability becomes at risk, their symptoms could escalate and at the very least their recovery will be seriously impeded.

 

 Some programs have found a way to by pass abstinence based approaches by including treatment of "relapse". Instead of cutting off support because a person has relapsed into addiction and "used", the reasons for the relapse are examined and addressed. New coping strategies and alternatives to self harm can be implemented/ suggested and over time these will help to limit exposure to emotionally triggering environments preventing or at least lessening future relapses.

 

So, yes "get clean" but with attention to relapse. This way funding for addictions treatment becomes available and still respects the symptoms of trauma survivors. I have included a tool for trauma survivors to map triggers and begin to self monitor in the handout's at the front as well as a sheet detailing some alternatives to self harm you may find effective when providing support.

 

 

Physical contact- should be a last resort- touching/man handling the victim's of violent crimes can further traumatize them. Members shared how being grabbed or restrained triggered them and contributed to their lack of trust in the systems designed to protect them. The explosive rage and extreme passion of trauma survivors when triggered can be difficult. Monitor their safety but maintain your distance. Restraining a trauma survivor during an episode can prolong the event and make their recovery from it longer and more difficult. Only in the most extreme cases should physical restraint be employed.

 

Over prescribing feeds addiction and under prescribing forces people to seek other ways to supplement prescriptions. Both situations are difficult and could result in harm to a trauma survivor. Too much and we are enabling, too little and people will take risks (like work in the dangerous street trade) to fill their needs. Try to remember this and see each individual case for what it is then with potential outcomes I mind asses what treatment/ prescription to employ

 

There is a tendency to blame the victim in these situations. A person who has been abused repeatedly is sometimes mistaken as someone who has a "weak character." Because of their chronic victimization, in the past, survivors have been misdiagnosed by mental health providers as having borderline, dependent, or masochistic personality disorder. When survivors are faulted for the symptoms they experience as a result of victimization, they are being unjustly blamed.

 

Awareness is key here. Make yourselves familiar with symptoms and treatment. When a person understands their symptoms better, they can become less fearful of them and better able to manage them. By recognizing the effects of PTSD and knowing more about its symptoms, a person is better able to make decisions regarding treatment.

 

Researchers hope that a new diagnosis of complex PTSD will prevent clinicians, the public, and those who suffer from trauma from mistakenly blaming survivors for their symptoms and misdiagnosising the survivors of trauma.

 

  Triggers

Triggers are things that cause physical, mental or emotional changes within a trauma survivor such as certain smell, sound, place, or person. Generally symptoms and feelings become more intense and survivors may avoid thinking and talking about trauma-related topics because the feelings associated with the trauma are often overwhelming. They may use alcohol and substance abuse as a way to avoid and numb feelings and thoughts related to the trauma. Survivors may also engage in self-mutilation and other forms of self-harm.

 

 

Coping Mechanisms in PTSD

Coping mechanisms can also be described as Survival Strategies. These strategies have been utilized by survivors in the past, or they are using them at present to help numb the pain of the abuse. They are also used to control feelings, which may threaten to overwhelm survivors. Survivors may have experienced or are presently experiencing problems associated with drugs, alcohol, food/eating, and/or self-injury.

• Recent studies have shown a relationship between the frequency of drug use and a history of abuse.

• A similar relationship has been noted with the development of alcoholism and the impact of abuse.

• Eating Disorders are common to female survivors. They may develop anorexia nervosa or bulimia. For a survivor, compulsive control of food intake can be a way of exerting control over her body, control that was denied when she was being abused.

• Some survivors injure themselves, hurting their bodies by burning, slashing or cutting. The reasons for this behavior vary. It can be a way of relieving unbearable anxiety, triggered by memories of the abuse. It can also develop as a way of dealing with and confronting strong, painful emotions, "using new pain to hide old pain". 
• Social Isolation and withdrawal is also common.  Survivors report feeling uncomfortable and unsafe around others.  They also report feeling uncomfortable talking about themselves and their experiences

i also so read about the children of holocaust survivors they display a distinct set of symptoms including engaging in high risk behaviour or other forms of self harm in an effort to hurt themselves so they may empathize with their parent and say to that parent " i understand, i also have pain". when combined with the residential schools disaster, high numbers of first nations women and youth being on the street takes on a different context, which is not my area of expertise so i will not pretend it is.

 

in terms of sex workers forced to work at the dangerous, some workers were never abused or assaulted until being forced to work outside due to a lack of jobs and constant destabilization of industry. our CPTSD is caused by uninformed actions as i descibe all throughout my posts. blaming sex workers for the symptoms of societies oppression is not going to help. we need zero barrier supports for casualties of the prohibition war.

 

remember, street sex work only maes up about 10% of the industry and i don't doubt numbers like 90% have been abused. through understanding ghettoization, trauma,segregation( our children are taken and we are seperated from our "abusive men" as if we are unable to have relationships or be part of a family...) the contagious nature of trauma and i believe the assertions of 85% chilhood sexual abuse and 90% abused amongst street workers. what did we think would happen to all the children affected by the failure of child and family services to protect them and in some cases expose them to even more harm? or the victims of a priests 20 year swath of sexula abuse? these children don't just evaporate...cause and effect.

 

end rant

also, sex workers don't support"red light districts". we feel it will further seperate us from the mainstream community and make us a target that is easy to find. also, sex workers don't feel it will work to adress issues around the street level trade. the strongest worker will still take over the best corner and if competition is to much workers will inevitably move away from the red light area in order to try to make money. once a worker moved away from the designated area this will mean no security and working in isolated areas as we already see. so no reall impact on safety for sex workers.

we would like to see businesses treated as any other business and operating in areas zoned for commercial, industrial, etc ...not residential clearly howeve independent escorts aready operate from home and we would also like to see that supported....1 or 2 indy escorts working together...

again we must all try to sit down and negotiate the terms of decriminalization. together i believe we can come with a plan that respects all experiences, protects [people working i the sex industry and adresses socieies issues with trafficking, exploitation of youth, street entrenched workers and ways to try to stabilize the casualties of societies failings....workers entrenched in addiction.

for me, abolition is a political and moral goal and is an honorable idea. but perhaps we should be moving towards education of men, not destabilizing sex workers and putting them at risk. educating men whom since at least 6000 BC- as seen in the oldest piece of writing on the planet- whore of babylon story- have had access to sex workers.

abolitionists can continue to work towards their goal but in a way that does not put peoples lives at risk....we must try to stop the slaughter

Just in case that link won't work:

http://tinyurl.com/yhrjrlw

Susan Davis.....KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

The information provided by YOU BE THE JUDGE seems to invalidate the claim that women are getting killed by johns and pimps BECAUSE these men's practices are made illegal. With at least 32 fully-licensed and advertised brothels operating in Ottawa alone, it is clear that indoor prostitution is available for both prostitutors and the prostituted. Yet the killings go on, e.g. Kelly Morisseau). In Montreal, women with direct experience in prostitution tell us that outdoor prostitution provides more money than indoor practice (trough rapid turnover of clients) to women whose addiction or pimp requires many hundreds of dollars a day. This would not end if johns and pimps were made legal. There would imply be more pimps and johns - and more trafficking to feed that demand. (And that is not a "morality argument.)