The Parliamentary Subcommittee Study on the Solicitation Laws was finally released December 13 / 06. SPOC presented to the Committee on March 15, 2005. Unfortunately our predictions of the Committee’s recommendations came true. While our colleagues continue to be ostracized from society, raped, robbed and murdered, this study recommends more studies.
It rambles on about more protection for sex workers. Government ” protection ” is what got our profession in its current dangerous mess. What this profession needs to end the madness of violence against us is decriminalization. We know it & the Committee knows it too but they just don’t have the vision or fortitude to actually say it. Recommendation 7 is their feeble attempt to placate sex professionals. ( page 89.) It states;
” The majority of the Subcommittee calls for concrete efforts to be made immediately to improve the safety of individuals selling sexual services and assist them in exiting prostitution if they are not there by choice.” etc. & blah, blah.
Why doesn’t this study just come out and say what ” concrete efforts ” they are talking about? What adult sex professionals who choose to be in this business need, and there are many of us, is the removal of the communicating, bawdy house and procuring laws. In order to achieve this we need politicians who can have a rational discussion about sex work as opposed a moralistic reaction which is what this study amounts to.
While we do not advocate youth or people being forced into this or any other business, we find the committee’s attempt to confuse the issue by dwelling on this aspect disingenuous.
One wonders, if it were their spouses, sisters, daughters or colleagues being assaulted and murdered on a regular basis would they be satisfied with this Subcommittee’s prattle about more studies needed?
Our profession is legitimate and necessary and is here to stay. It’s about time the federal government deal with this in an intelligent and mature fashion. Its current atavistic stance only extends what has become a de-facto death penalty of sex workers.