Canada's Prostitution Laws Struck Down

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

There are a whole lot of dead and debilitated girls that thought that way and won't go to the police out of fear and control.

But fear of being arrested is another reason that they wouldn't go to police, and now that reason has been eliminated. This is a good thing.

[Burninator]

Just to be clear. Nothing has changed yet. They have given law makers a year before any laws are taken off the books.

[Five-hole]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Just to be clear. Nothing has changed yet. They have given law makers a year before any laws are taken off the books.

Don't do anything rash, people.

Emphasis on the rash.

[NuclearPizzaMan]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

Well, I know what I'm doing tonight, before they change their minds.

Earn some extra spending money for the holidays?

[SebC]

Blow is still illegal, but we're halfway there.

This is a good decision. How long before the Conservative lawyers find a way around it?

[jammies]

Luckily this announcement came out on payday.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by jammies

luckily this announcement came out on payday.

A Christmas miracle!!

[Kswiss]

Originally Posted by troutman

Why? Will wives be happy now that their husbands are legally seeing prostitutes?

lol bad joke about men who are stuck in marriages but are saved by seeing prostitutes

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I watched the series on prostitution on MNBC and it was pretty horrifying to watch.

Stop the presses....we got an expert here!

[Devils'Advocate]

Should be VERY interesting to see where this goes. The Conservatives have 1 year to come up with a new law. How do they create a new law that will withstand a Supreme Court challenge while ALSO not upsetting their small-c conservative base? I can see the more religious factions, the social conservatives, being maligned with any change from the status quo.

[Swarly]

Well that gives me one year to get my business up and running, good good.

10% discount to all CP'ers

[GGG]

I think places that have legalized see an increase in trafficking of women. I am remembering things but too lazy too look it up. The problem being it is much easier to catch a John, trade up for the pimp, who trades up for the trafficker. Now you don't have that starting point. I agree with this decision but I hope when the conservatives re-write the law they can do it in a way that will allow them to fight human trafficking.

[stang]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I watched the series on prostitution on MNBC and it was pretty horrifying to watch.

Like I said I don't think that striking down the laws is a bad thing for those truly independent girls out there, to a extent it will make it safer for some other girls.

But siting the criminal laws that are on the books in terms of assault haven't made a difference in going after the pimps.

I think you can legalize prostitution while keeping the avails law in place but defining a contract process for the girls hiring protection.

As for a pimp opening a legal brothel and if the girl's unhappy she can walk away.

There are a whole lot of dead and debilitated girls that thought that way and won't go to the police out of fear and control.

I would almost think that the licensing database should be upgraded to have regular contact with the girl so if she does go missing its not another forgotten statistic.

I think you're looking at it wrong... Once it becomes a regular business like any other business it should be ran like that. What's to stop my boss from beating the piss out of me if I don't sell enough?

I'm thinking it should be regulated to keep it off the streets. A licensed place with health inspections and such.

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by stang

I'm thinking it should be regulated to keep it off the streets. A licensed place with health inspections and such.

Rhode Island changed their law in 2009, but I think their previous approach was the right one. Prostitution was only legal indoors, so cops were still able to go after the dark alley pimps who are the biggest problem. As for licensing, that's probably the way they'll go, but I worry that the women won't want to be on record as sex workers, so it will still stay largely underground.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Should be VERY interesting to see where this goes. The Conservatives have 1 year to come up with a new law. How do they create a new law that will withstand a Supreme Court challenge while ALSO not upsetting their small-c conservative base? I can see the more religious factions, the social conservatives, being maligned with any change from the status quo.

Right. Because organizations like te Elizabeth Fry Society oppose this on religious grounds.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by stang

I think you're looking at it wrong... Once it becomes a regular business like any other business it should be ran like that. What's to stop my boss from beating the piss out of me if I don't sell enough?

I'm thinking it should be regulated to keep it off the streets. A licensed place with health inspections and such.

I think making it a regular business is part of the problem. Prostitution as a career choice will never be normalized. Young girls (and boys) cannot be groomed by their parents and teachers to work in the brothels once they are done high school. As soon as that happens, the most vulnerable of children will start to be sold into prostitution by their parents, often destitute or addicts themselves. Normalizing the career as a choice is failing to understand why the majority of prostitutes are there in the first place.

There was a good CNN article on child prostitution in Cambodia recently.

This issue is very difficult to get right.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

I think making it a regular business is part of the problem. Prostitution as a career choice will never be normalized. Young girls (and boys) cannot be groomed by their parents and teachers to work in the brothels once they are done high school. As soon as that happens, the most vulnerable of children will start to be sold into prostitution by their parents, often destitute or addicts themselves. Normalizing the career as a choice is failing to understand why the majority of prostitutes are there in the first place.

There was a good CNN article on child prostitution in Cambodia recently.

This issue is very difficult to get right.

I don't mean this question to demonstrate you are wrong, but I'm legitimately curious:

How does this vary from the current and legalized aspect of the sex trade, strip clubs?

[killer_carlson]

Good question. I think the difference is that now the vulnerable turn to this lifestyle as a survival mechanism. I think if it is normalized, then more children will be at risk than currently because the parents/caregivers can openly advocate it as a lifestyle choice.

[killer_carlson]

The Herald's editorial on the subject:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion...273/story.html

Interesting that they refer to the groups who work with prostitutes who oppose this decision. They also refer to an international study of more than 150 countries which states that those countries with legalized prostitution have higher volumes of human trafficking (aka sexual slavery).

[JimmytheT]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Good question. I think the difference is that now the vulnerable turn to this lifestyle as a survival mechanism. I think if it is normalized, then more children will be at risk than currently because the parents/caregivers can openly advocate it as a lifestyle choice.

Your assertion that legalizing this will make it so that parents, caregivers and teachers will open advocate it as a career choice is absurd.

I will use a parallel to demonstrate the fatuity of your assertion:

The pornographic industry: have you ever known a normal teacher, parent or caregiver who openly advocates for their children/pupils to enter the porn industry as a career? I don't see this as a destination that high school guidance counsellors are recommending at any time for example.