Carole 214 Report post Posted April 9, 2007 B.C. prostitutes say sex co-op puts control over industry back in their hands Stephanie Levitz, Canadian Press VANCOUVER (CP) - The lonely girl in a pleather skirt and stilettos waiting vainly on the corner for a date isn't a typical image associated with a member of a business co-operative. Neither is the busty blond leering out from the E section of the telephone book. Group-owned and controlled by its members, co-ops are the traditional purview of credit unions, farmers and artists. But a coalition of prostitutes in Vancouver sees no reason why it can't join that list. Tired of unsafe working conditions, the B.C. Coalition of Experiential Women is exploring the idea of starting a sex workers co-operative, where the selling of sex and its accoutrements would be controlled not by the need to pay off drug debts or pimp fees but by the prostitutes themselves. "We want it to be above board," said Raven Bowen, one of two authors of Developing Capacity for Change, a report written to explore the concept and need for a sex trade co-op in Vancouver. "The whole idea is to pull the industry out from the shadows into a more, not public, but legitimate environment." (Follow the link to read the rest of the story.) http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=ed4bba22-db01-443b-91a2-de9d21e62f03&k=98694 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
