The latest shot at Canadian women is aimed at sex-workers

You can add this to the list of anti-woman things the Conservative government has done: treat sex-workers who work indoors instead of on the street like members of organized crime.

New regulations were recently announced which allow the government to crack down on certain offences associated with organized crime, without having to go to the trouble of getting warrants and such. One of those offences is “the keeping off a common bawdy house” which is defined by the Criminal Code of Canada as,

a place that is kept or occupied, or resorted to by one or more persons, for the purpose of prostitution or the practice of acts of indecency.

So a sex worker who takes clients at home, or at a condo that she splits the cost of with a couple of other sex workers,  is committing an offence. The new regulations enable law enforcement to come down harder on them, and may force such sex workers onto the streets, where they have far less control over who they accept as clients, and the health and safety of their workplace.

The Toronto Star has an article about it.

Contact the Minister of Justice and your Member of Parliament to let them know that you care about the safety of sex workers.

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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