Beyond Decriminalization: Sex-work, Human Rights and a New ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

PIVOT LEGAL SOCIETYPrivacyA. [C]ertainly a massage parlour is the safest place to work because there’s safety innumbers. Given that though, I think people should have the choice to beself-employed and assess that risk on their own . . . no one . . . needs that paternalistic,‘this is safer for you’ approach and be told where or how to work.A. I mean, realistically, some people are still going to go outside, no matter what.- female off-street in-call sex workerA. Well, maybe it could be that there would be sort of a Low Track area where the druggiesand all that hang out and I don’t know . . . the only thing that maybe, if therewere a closed radius to some dumpy, cheap hotels they could work out of there andtheir friends could watch out for them.- female off-street out-call sex workerA. That shouldn’t mean that if you’re in that kind of [sex work] business you have to bein that [one] zone, because you know it would be ridiculous, if say there was a[sexwork] zone like that in Gastown for instance and someone wanted to get laid inBurnaby or Coquitlam, they’re [the client is] not necessarily going to want to come allthat way to perform a sort of a domestic kind of transaction. And so yeah, you couldhave a zone that is geared for that but that couldn’t be the only zone or you’d have tohave other zones all over the place.- female off-street in-call sex workerGenerally sex workers emphasized the need for privacy for workers, clients and the industry as awhole. Some sex workers stated that they felt a zone for prostitution would make them more visible,which could make them susceptible to stigmatization and discrimination. Both escorts and femalestreet sex workers emphasized the need for privacy:A. Once you start zoning and say “you can only operate in this area”, what happensis then…like you’ve really labelled people and, I don’t know, I think you’ll drive itfurther underground. Some people will stand up and say, “yeah, I’m gonna work inthis area”, but then I don’t know . . . . Nobody really wants to stand up and say “I’ma sex-trade worker”. I don’t know a lot of people who would want to admit it, youknow?female street-level sex workerA. I was very discreet about it. I mean, the thing is, if you let people know what you do,then you’re opening yourself up to eggs being thrown at you, or whatever the heck,people screeching at you, who knows, maybe people trying to make you move out ofyour home or at least making you feel so uncomfortable that you move out on yourown volition. So, it really pays not to tell people what you do.- female off-street out-call sex workerA. I think that it would successfully operate invisibly if there’s not an area because therecould be very small houses with just one or a few workers and like you said peoplecould come and go unnoticed, if you like, whereas if it’s all ghettoized into a certainred light district then people are you know . . . you’re only there for one reason. Youlose privacy.- female off-street out-call sex worker76
BEYOND DECRIMINALIZATION: Sex Work, Human Rights and a New Framework for Law ReformSex workers insisted that their safety and their ability to conduct business both depend on the privacyand autonomy of workers and their clients. For them, privacy and autonomy are important considerationswhen contemplating how to design prostitution zoning laws.Sensitivity to childrenAlmost all sex workers agreed that sex industry businesses should not be located near children’sgathering places, such as schools:A. One thing is definitely in regards to schools no matter what it should not be anywhereclose to an elementary school as far as I’m concerned and there’s enough areasthroughout the lower mainland that they could put a red light district and there is noschools, elementary schools.- female street-level sex workerComments such as this reinforce the proposal that the Downtown District is the most appropriatelocation for prostitution, particularly because it should be kept out of the sight of children.Zoning and sex work recommendations1. Consult extensively with sex workers regarding where sex work should be located, and involve sexworkers in any decision-making process concerning zoning laws.2. Explore the benefits and disadvantages of various zoning schemes, including specific zones forsex-work businesses and street-level sex workers. The general view was that a single area designatedfor sex work would not meet the needs of different kinds of sex workers. Many sex workers wereopposed to establishing “designated prostitution zones”; sex work should be treated like any otherbusiness that is classified as a “commercial” or “service” industry.3. Given the preference of sex workers to work from the home, the Zoning and Development By-lawprovisions that place restrictions on home-based business should be revised to permit two sexworkers to take in-calls at a single residential location.4. Ensure that zoning regulations do not prohibit street prostitution entirely.5. Ensure that sex-work businesses are not located near schools or children’s playgrounds.6. Consult with sex workers to develop zoning regulations that enhance the safety, privacy andautonomy of sex workers.77
Page 4:
PIVOT LEGAL SOCIETYPart 2: Municipa
Page 21 and 22:
BEYOND DECRIMINALIZATION: Sex Work,
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26: BEYOND DECRIMINALIZATION: Sex Work,
Page 75: BEYOND DECRIMINALIZATION: Sex Work,
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
Page 193 and 194:
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
Page 201 and 202:
Page 203 and 204:
Page 205 and 206:
Page 207 and 208:
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217 and 218:
Page 219 and 220:
Page 221 and 222:
Page 223 and 224:
Page 225 and 226:
Page 227 and 228:
Page 229:
show all

Beyond Decriminalization: Sex-work, Human Rights and a New ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?