Should be decriminalized world wide between consenting adults. The law does more harm than good. I am against some ass hole forcing women into prostitution, human trafficking, child pornography, etc. Between consenting adults, give me fucking break.

At least there is hope in Canada. In the US, not anytime soon, we have too many people dictating to others what is morality when those who speak against engage in unnatural acts.

being funded by congress to "help" the victims of trafficking.

these anti-trafficking organizations are making bank and not helping anyone but themselves.

http://actioncenter.polarisproject.org/

100,000 victims = millions of dollars to help the victims.

have you ever read of a story in the news regarding a child prostitute found in the us ? i never see them. i hear about these victims but where are they ?

on the polaris project website, i found 4 teenagers and a handful of adult women  that had been trafficked in the us... none of which seemed to be helped by the polaris project.

the front page of their site is devoted to how to contact your legislators to get funding to help victims. ..... but funny they never mention anything about contacting victims.

it's greed, not morality.

God offers salvation and forgiveness and acceptance to prostitutes. It’s in the Bible, Matthew 21:31-32, TEV. “Jesus said to them, ‘The tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you. For John the Baptist came to you showing you the right path to take, and you would not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.”

they might fool congress but they aint fooling god.

Click link.

and asked for equal time.

OK, I'm for free speach.

Click Link

A huge step for us!  Pop the champagne!  It's a great feeling knowing we are finally decriminalized:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/867332--canada-s-prostitution-laws-unconstitutional-court-rules?bn=1

A Toronto judge has struck down Canada’s prostitution laws, effectively decriminalizing activities associated with the world’s oldest trade.

“These laws, individually and together, force prostitutes to choose between their liberty interest and their right to security of the person as protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Justice Susan Himel of Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice said in Tuesday’s landmark decision.

The long-awaited judgment had been on reserve for nearly a year.

Himel said that while she has concluded the laws amount to a serious violation of the Charter, she has imposed a 30-day “stay” on her decision to give lawyers for the federal and provincial governments, as well as the women at the centre of the case, an opportunity to make fuller submissions on whether her decision to invalidate the laws should be placed on hold for an even longer period of time.

Rona Ambrose, minister for status of women, said the Conservative government is “very concerned” about the court decision and is considering an appeal.

Himel said she is not persuaded that striking down the provisions without enacting something in its place would pose a danger to the public, as the federal government argued.

“I am mindful of the fact that legislating in response to prostitution raises difficult, contentious and serious policy issues and that it is for Parliament to fashion corrective legislation,” wrote Himel.

“This is wonderful,” dominatrix Terri-Jean Bedford told reporters at the University Ave. courthouse.

Bedford and prostitutes Valerie Scott and Amy Lebovitch had asked the court to strike down Criminal Code provisions dealing with prostitution, contending the laws violate their constitutional right to security of the person and freedom of expression.

They argued that restrictions on keeping a common bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of the trade force sex workers onto the street and expose them to violence.

In an affidavit filed with the court, Bedford described scars she has from being hit on the head with a baseball bat by a customer many years ago when she worked as a street prostitute.

The women argued that if the law permitted sex workers to conduct their business indoors, they could employ safety measures such as the use of security guards and monitoring devices.
But when the case was argued in Toronto last fall, lawyers for Ontario’s attorney general suggested there are already measures that women on the streets can employ to ensure safer working conditions, including simply warning each other about customers with a propensity for violence.

Lawyers for the federal government maintained that prostitution is inherently dangerous no matter where it is practised.

The Criminal Code prohibitions, Canada argued, are meant to prevent the commercialization of the sex trade and protect women from exploitation.

In her ruling, Himel said the criminal prohibition on keeping a common bawdy house is overly broad because it has the potential to punish sex workers who do not create the kind of neighbourhood disruption the legislation was designed to prevent.

Most prostitutes in Canada are “independent operators” and the impact of their business, while working discreetly from home, could be different from a large brothel employing many prostitutes, the judge said.

Although prostitution itself is not illegal in Canada, almost everything associated with it is, a situation that was once described as “bizarre” by a judge of the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Supreme Court dismissed a slightly narrower challenge to the country’s prostitution laws in 1990.

At that time, the court ruled that restrictions on communicating for the purposes of prostitution was a justifiable limit on free expression because the law was meant to discourage the nuisances of street prostitution and related activities such as drug trafficking.

As part of their case, Bedford, Scott and Lebovitch pointed to a report from a Parliamentary committee that was released in 2006, several years after the Supreme Court had considered the constitutionality of the legislation.

The report concluded that restrictions on communicating had merely shifted prostitution from certain neighbourhoods into others.

Considered it in the 60ies but my mind is made up now.

...does the Minister take into consideration reviews when deciding a woman's status?

Any good travels lately my dear?

I believe if we did the same here the profession would be a lot safer. i mean we already try to warn each other of any dangerous customers but theres not enough time or phones to reach every single girl... ive tired. when something happens your to afraid to call the cops so their voilent streak continues. lets say this is made legal and the government wanted taxes i would have no problem paying those taxes because then my income would be recongnized and i could file income taxes and proving income would no loonger be a problem i see it as a win win situation personally but maybe im bias lol

The Polaris Project is all about money.  They thrive by whipping up emotion using aniquated, puritan views on sex to garner support.  They claim to protect children and kidnapped, coerced and swindled women.  But their progress in this area is so low, it cannot even be measured.   I believe your observation is pretty accurate.  Thier goal is all about money and power.  If you notice, they chose Illinois to first hoist this scam on the people in the U.S..  Illinois is probably has most corrupt political system in the U.S., so it was a sure bet.  The new laws have provisions for a portion of money generated from the convictions to go to the Polaris Project.  Does anyone need any more reason to pissed off?  Go Canada.  Prostitution in Canada is already legal, if conducted in certain ways.  This new law addresses street prostitution and bawdy houses, or brothels, etc.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Simply put, dictating morality = making money so are many activities in the name of one thing or another. Cynical, may be.

Bottom line; Human trafficking = Just plain wrong and cruel, period.

It is great news. It will be interesting to see what happens now as the laws have not officially changed - it is not yet decriminalized. The judge ordered a 30 day stay in order to give time for the Crown to come back with an appeal. Seems as though it may bounce back and forth for some time but great news nevertheless.

I soooo agree with you. As long as it has nothing to do with a child or forcing someone then it should all be legal. If the goverment ever really sat down and looked at how much they would get from us tax wise they would do it.

This courts ruling only applies to Ontario.  I will need to be appealed for a ruling that would apply to all of Canada.

This is some good news. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

“...forced sex workers onto the street and exposed them to violence.”

"individually and together, force prostitutes to choose between their liberty interest and their right to security of the person as protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

_______________________________

Exactly.   This really is the crux of how anti-prostitution laws deny citizen’s human rights.    

In the cases of violence, robbery, and other forms of vicious attack, the U.S. prostitution laws do NOT protect the life, liberty, and well-being of this sub-section of society.  Should sex workers, individually and collectively, in spite of being U.S. citizens, have no rights to safety and "security of the person" solely based on the fact that their chosen work happens to be illegal?  I mean, should it be OK to allow this anti-social behavior because, after all, the sex workers are committing crimes?  Does this justify the means?  Should U.S. citizens without health insurance be left to suffer and die?  These are the same moral principals.  

I do believe (in spite of my recent frustrated and angry comments directed to LE,) that many of these same enforcers would rather focus their energies on going after the BAD people - the abusers, traffickers, thieves.  I’ve heard it said more than once, that privately LE really could care less about two consenting adults making sexual choices, including monetary arrangements to that effect.  What they care about is going after the criminals - the ones who rob, beat, rape, kill.   The atrocious trafficking of children and women.  Trafficking is another name for torture.

In fact, I just posted a website response to excerpts written by a former teenage sex slave, who was held as a captive submissive prostitute for three years before her escape.   This is a heart-breaking story, and she is only beginning to write about it.  Can you truly imagine being homeless, penniless, on the streets with nobody to help you?  And I mean literally.  And then, out of desperation, you reach out to a torturer who is disguised as a ‘nice man’ who only wants to help you find a job, give you a place to sleep, and even buy you a steak dinner since you’ve been starving.

To be brought from a place of desperation, to a state of new hope, and then be tortured alive.  And all within a couple of hour’s time?  To be severely beaten, raped violently by one and many men, drugged, sensory deprived, tortured with whips, hangings, electrical shockings, burnings, repeatedly threatened with violent death, and actually be brought to the brink of death  - - -

Can you really imagine?  These cases are no less compelling than POW’s.  

Realities like this would not be happening if our laws and priorities were set-up to truly intervene in the case of trafficking involving homeless girls and women.  And getting them off of the streets and providing safe places to be.  And that means precious resources committed to establishing those places of safety.  Further, in the cases of trafficking victims, helping them to a level of security to reach self-sufficiency.  Wouldn’t you prefer that’s where your tax dollars go?  

Or, alternatively, busting men and women who are having a good time - who, in fact, are mutually benefiting from such arrangements?  Trafficking and consensual sex work are not the same.  However, the *morally upright* citizens want to continue to legislate people’s sexuality.  They shamelessly use the ruse of the virtual enslavement involved in trafficking, to also further their agendas of finally wiping out prostitution for good.

This is America, the most powerful country in the world.  Setting the standards and model of democratic living.  But right now as you finish reading this, be advised that before the sun sets, many will have suffered horribly, hundreds of men’s careers will have been ruined and family lost, and the sex workers are gearing up for another night of silently praying that their next customers won’t turn out to be serial killers.

New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Houston, St. Thomas, Paris and London all in the plans.  I spend more time away then I do at home. If you want any recommendations let me know

The argument that many of us use when facing the establishment is that all the laws needed to prosecute abused women in the sex industry already exist without a seperate set of laws.

- Robbery
- Forcible Confinement
- Rape
- Aggravated Assault
- Uttering a Death Threat
- Kidnapping
- Coercion
-  etc...

There is not need for specific prostitution laws.  Those are crimes whether committed against a civ or a provider