http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sex-workers-fear-new-prostitution-laws-will-compromise-safety-1.2523145
This article discusses the ways in which new legislation striking
down anti-prostitution laws in Canada may actually be harmful to sex
workers. This past December, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned
laws prohibiting prostitution, brothels and openly communicating with
clients in belief that the laws put sex workers at risk. The new
legislation, modeled after sex work laws in Norway, Sweden and
Iceland, will punish the clients and pimps – essentially making it
illegal to buy sex but not to sell it. Sex workers fear that these
laws will result in clients' unwillingness to identify themselves, thus
presenting a dangerous situation for individuals who must accept
clients without knowledge of their true identity. Emily Van der
Muelen agrees that the laws may put workers in danger, commenting on
the state's attempt to regulate the sex industry. “'It appeals to
the government because it fits with their 'tough on crime'
agenda...They think it's the only way they can retain some element of
control over the sex industry.'” Although Canada's legislation
regarding prostitution may seem lenient compared to our own laws in
the United States, this article depicted the ways in which the state
continues to exert control over sex worker's bodies. In United States
culture, the taboo around sex work can be traced back to Puritan
ideals regarding the immorality of sexual activity. In “in danger
of becoming morally depraved,” Hicks discusses the state's attempt
to control sexually delinquent women during the early twentieth century
in New York. Ultimately, legislators stripped working class black
families of their parental authority over the actions of their female
kin. Similarly, this article depicts the ways that Canadian law makers remove sex
worker's authority over their employment. Although the Wayward Minor
Laws are a thing of the past, today, legislators continue to
criminalize sexuality through anti-sex work laws, ultimately exerting
control over individual bodies.
Interesting article. On the surface, I would've thought that punishing the 'client' as opposed to the sex worker would've been a good thing in terms of penalizing the real perpetrator instead of the sex worker. Regardless of which party is viewed more critically, traditionally, at least in the United States, the prostitute tends to be punished more severely than the client.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would've never thought that these laws would actually put the prostitute at more risk of assault because of client anonymity.
This reenforces my belief that more thought and analysis is needed, in general, before laws are passed. A larger part of this analysis should be the inclusion of all parties affected in the discussions.