Police put wrong focus on Ottawa sex trade

This was written by a friend of mine and published in the Ottawa Citizen.

Re: Police kept busy during two-day prostitution sweep, June 16.

It was disheartening to read the Citizen's enthusiastic and uncritical coverage of the Ottawa Police's latest opportunity to "get paid to play dress-up" as the story described what the undercover officers did while conducting street sweeps that further marginalize street-level sex workers and compromise their safety.

In 2006, the majority of the House of Commons subcommittee on solicitation laws agreed that prostitution is best dealt with as a public health rather than a criminal issue, and recommended that governments focus on the health and safety of sex workers, rather than criminalizing consenting adults who choose to exchange sexual services for money.

When the Parliament of Canada recognizes that criminalization does more harm than good, it is unfortunate that the Ottawa Police continues to be allowed to "play dress-up" on the taxpayer's dime rather than focusing their efforts on ensuring the safety of sex workers and maybe directing some of their costume budget to addressing the health and social service needs of street sex workers.

Chris Boodram,

Ottawa

The crux of the matter is public solicitation for the purposes of paid sex is illegal under the Criminal Code of Canada.

I must admit my ignorance and state that I'm not sure what happen to the ladies who are caught if they are provided health and social aid after the fact.

I think the main point was that these busts make it unsafe for street workers. For example:

-Workers won't "screen" a client before getting into the car for fear police are watching.

-Workers solicit and service clients in secluded places to avoid police busts.

-Workers avoid working together for fear of attracting police attention even though working with a friend is much safer.

I'm not advocating street work, but street workers are just as deserving of safety and rights as indoor workers. My hunch is that most women working on the streets are doing so out of desperation or because they don't perceive themselves as having options. These busts don't help anyone.

There is a lot more to this, but I would be giving away too much. More to come ;)

One way or another, there are definitely bigger, better, and more dangerous/serious things that the police could be focusing on and budgeting. These type of busts won't stop or discourage the average working girl, it just drives them more underground making it harder for everyone!

Here Here Encore!

Additional Comments:

The crux of the matter is public solicitation for the purposes of paid sex is illegal under the Criminal Code of Canada.

 

I must admit my ignorance and state that I'm not sure what happen to the ladies who are caught if they are provided health and social aid after the fact.

As much as I hate to disagree, the crux of the matter, is that rather than making public solicitation for the purposes of sex illegal, and attempting to enforce a law that is for all intents and purposes completely unenforceable, that money, which is publically funded, would be better spent catching people who rape someone, or abuse children. Even the police themselves publicly admit they will never completely stop prostitution. Therefore the logical question, is "if we can't stop it, how can we make it safer for everyone in all aspects of sex work?" Don't get me wrong, I don't like seeing women walking the street. I think it shows very little pride, and does attract other problems, but there are appropriate solutions.. These may include brothels, a legal red light district, or providing some form of financial aide to women who want to move from street work to escorting.

As far as I know, at least in BC a woman who gets arrested for solicitation of prostitution for the first time usually gets about six months probation, most of them are usually back on the same street within two weeks of sentencing. The penalties for subsequent offenses do tend to get a little more serious. Of course my information might be out of date now.

I can't buy a hot dog cart and set up shop in front of my neighbors house on the sidewalk or in front of the mickie'd's down the road for that matter!! Why? The reason is you need a license to operate a business here in Canada and restrictions are in place as to where you can operate this business!

Why should streetwalkers be allowed to set up shop in these places???

The reason is that it is considered a public nuisance (Undesirable activity) hot dog cart or streetwalkers it does not belong on the sidewalk infront of my home! We have laws to protect property owners and business owners.

Make a zoned area for this and police it better with stricter laws to make sure drugs, pimps and underage girls are all not an issue and I would be all for it. Until that time it has NO place on the streets!!

If you just set up shop anywhere you wanted (without zoning or a license) you would be fined or put in jail in some cases. Why is this any different!!

We all know the truth... even though a percentage of the ladies working on the street are NOT involved with pimps and drugs and most are of legal age the fact exists that some are under age, many are run by pimps and even more are driven to prostitute themselves to pay for drug habits (Often habits that a drug dealing pimp has introduced them to!)

Why would anyone be "PRO" street prostitution? No one has ever given me an answer to this that makes sense to me! I am not preaching here and this has nothing to do with morals or religion in ANY WAY (I hate those people who spew that moral crusader crap as much as the rest of us) I am talking about running a business without a license and worse operating it where it is obviously UNWANTED as it becomes a public nuisance!

Don't get me wrong... the non pimp, non drug, legal age ladies doing this I agree she should be allowed to do this... but not in front of my home or business. The government has made it legal for this lady to operate her business as a outcall service (we all have rules we must follow that pertain to our businesses) so why does she have to work on the street where it is in fact illegal and much more unsafe? She also should be allowed to legally work from her home (I am not saying run a brothel from her home by to be a single lady taking booked appointments - that should be legal but we can blame the government for those laws)

I am not for decriminalizing prostitution either unless they make stricter rules against pimps and underage girls caught working prostitution and make sure cities don't abuse the power of city by-law licensing and zoning. The cities should need to zone a area for this and have reasonable licenses (Like cabs, limos, stripclubs, bars, restaurants, etc..)

Once it is decriminalized completely the city can live off the avails - meaning they can license and zone legally for prostitution giving them a LOT More power to remove streetwalkers from NON-zONED areas (Something they can NOT do now easily!!)

Don't let the body rub parlors and "escort" licenses fool you (These DO NOT make the act of prostitution in a in-call location legal)

If they "Decriminalize" it the cities will set up ZONING for this as it becomes a legal business like other business's in that city. They can limit the number of available licenses (Like cabs have) they can make the zoning very restrictive (Like most cities do for strip clubs) and they can enforce criminal background checks and all sorts of license fee's that are often abused (Look at Hamiltons strip club by-laws if you want to see a example of this - per dancer licenses of 250.00/yr with criminal check, huge manager license fee's, huge operating license fee's and zoning restrictions and much more!!)

Bottom line: Decriminalization means the city can charge a license fee based on your "legal" business and tell you where (or where you can not) operate withing that city.

Licenses and zoning protect property value and protects other business's. It helps keep things civil for everyone.

No one should have the right to just open up a business of ANY KIND in front of my house or business without getting a proper license!!

I MOST certainly don't want a vendor selling anything in front of my house or business. I checked the zoning in my neighborhood before I purchased a house. If the zoning is changing (Like it does when someone applies to have a area rezoned) a public hearing is put in order and I can have my say as to why I agree or not agree with the zoning and the city will make a vote on the changes (This is the way it is done here in Canada - other countries do not have these laws but we do and I like these laws as it protects my property!).

No property owner (Business or residential) wants street level prostitution in front of their home or business... that is just a fact we must all accept. Cry foul as much as you want it will not change the public opinion of this activity.

With the current loop holes in the laws the police are really not able to do much to stop it. This includes protecting the ladies being pimped!

We all know that the way it is now only brings pimps, drugs and a large volumes of traffic that does not benefit the property owner in anyway! I say give the police the ability to remove it from the streets (or at least zone it and legalize it so the city can choose where the zoning is to be. Crack down on the drugs, pimps and for heavens sake make sure the girls are legal age!!!

Obviously street prostitution is NOT something I approve of at this time (The BAD far outweighs to GOOD).

I do not allow it promoted on the site here and I am very much against it. (as you can tell from my comments above).

I think the police and the government could find better ways to deal with it but I think the police have their hands tied here as the government has made it too easy for the whole thing to be exploited.

mod - I personally don't promote street prostitution, but I do promote the safety and preservation of rights of women and men who work on the streets.

Also, I don't think it's reasonable to compare street prostitution to a hot dog stand. There are way too many social issues entwined with street prostitution like drug abuse, exploitation, poverty, violence, etc. to treat it like your typical hot dog stand.

I have some experience with street walkers. As to why they are considered a nuisance, it's generally the owners of the property the girls are working in front of Who consider them to be a problem. Imagine for instance that you were trying to run a bar, in general street walkers are hostile to women, as they consider them competition. Eventually women who are not working, will stop attending your bar because they don't want to deal with the abuse from the prostitute outside. This means that the number of men attending your bar goes down by a proportionate number as well. Eventually causing the bar to become unprofitable. Unfortunately, the same principle translates very well into other areas.

I tend to agree with mod, street-level prostitution needs to be decriminalized and properly regulated and policed.

boy i hate when people put words in other peoples mouths or try to use something they said in a way it was not intended or to argue a point without a legitimate argument!

I don't think I could stress enough that i was not comapring streetwalkers with a hot dog cart... the hot dog cart was an example of another MOBILE business (Street walking is a BUSINESS as well and that is what is comparible here) ... Nothing compares to streetwalking as it is a unique business but the fact that it is a business is what is comparable here! What exactly would you prefer I compare it with (what other business do you feel is more suitable and would not upset you?)

Answer me this: why should it be any less ilegal than any other business? The hot dog cart or taxi cab driver (tow truck driver, limo driver, etc) all need license to opperate. You are exchanging MONEY for SERVICE and therefore you are opperating a business. If you started a cab company without a license you would be stopped! A business is a business BOTOM LINE!

If you owned the business or house where the streetwalkers were working you would be mad! It would effect your business as the area your business is in would become a lot less desirable for people to shop at. Your kids would be exposed to things you would not want them to see and it would bring pimps and more drugs into your neighbourhood. Can anyone here honestly say they would not be mad?? It's all fine and dandy if you are not living or running a business in that area but put yourself in the other peoples shoes for a minute. If the tables were turned and you were the property owner you would be and be on the other side of this argument and demanding that the police and city fix this problem.

Some people just are uncapable of putting themselves in other peoples shoes and some people apparently just like to argue without any valid argument.!!

Sorry mod, I was just posting my views. I actually mostly agreed with what you said. Sorry if I misinterpreted you or misrepresented what you were saying.

Additional Comments:

Some people just are uncapable of putting themselves in other peoples shoes and some people apparently just like to argue without any valid argument.!!

I did have a valid argument, I guess I just didn't communicate it properly.

Perhaps if street level prostitution was decriminalized, it could then be regulated like a hotdog stand or chip wagon. You don't see them going up willy nilly or moving about at will. They could be controlled by bylaw enforcement instead of the criminal justice system. Take money for sex = professional sex. It would be way easier to nab underage girls, because you don't have to go through the step of proving they were actually prostituting themselves. As for public health, all the regs and enforecement options already exist to maintain the safety of a legal regulated enterprise, they just can't be applied to prostitution as it exists today.

isn't there something about insanity being the repitition of the same group of actions that didn't work the last time?

Been hit twice lately with the damsel in distress routine.

Hyper, sobbing, pretty, petite, blond appears (while I'm checking my tires),

"my girl friend kicked me out...no where to go...I'm not on drugs...I'm a good girl...need money real bad...a buss ticket...can I get in your truck and drive away from here, now !...(truly thought I was helping some one). Driving her downtown, (while checking my mirrors), she says, " I need 20...40...60...I'll do anything.... at that point I said" What do you mean ? What ever that is I'm not interested !"

Seemed to lose interest in me when I gave her a 20 and mentioned Womens Shelter.

A real person asking for help? or an attemped sting ?

Will never know for sure. It's sad that I will think twice about helping some one on the street !

This will sound trite ... but of course one bottom line is that there will always be Street Workers. After all, Public Communication is in the Criminal Code now, but (for any number of reasons) we know that this fact is by no means enough to deter everyone from working the streets.

If this activity were to be removed from the Criminal Code, and instead regulated and zoned, then the severity of (punitive) deterrence would be reduced. And, all else being equal, someone who walks the street in front of my house or business in defiance of possible jail time (for violating the Criminal Code) will obviously be at least as willing to walk the street in exactly the same place, in defiance of the lesser penalty of perhaps being assessed a simple monetary fine (for contravening zoning regulations).

The key to making any potential change in the legal landscape a positive change in this regard is to somehow make it more attractive to work away from the streets. Incentives would obviously (in my opinion) include making incalls legal, for a start. Only if such legal carrots had a greater practical impact than did the influence of shielding public solicitation from the stick of the Criminal Code, would the prevalence of street walking actually decrease.

In any possible future legal environment, the greater the legal, licensing, and regulatory hoops that might be put in place as requirements for workers to jump through in order to reach full "legal" status, the correspondingly greater the number of workers who would be either unable or unwilling to go to this extra effort to make themselves fully "legal". But no matter how benign the requirements, there will always be some who are unable or just unwilling to go to the bother of fulfilling them. Hence, there will always be at least some extra-legal street workers.

Of course from a humanitarian point of view, the ultimate goal is harm reduction, all-around. It is not the case that simply reducing the number of street workers, by hook or by crook, will also of necessity have the effect of reducing harm. The key lies in what the alternative is.

Wherever human behaviour and decision-making are involved, there are no magic wands. Street Work, as everyone knows, is a complex and many-faceted issue.

Good points Wrinkled et. al.

You may enjoy the work ($) now, but I challenge any SP to state honestly that when they were a little girl, when asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" your response was an Escort. Even when you became more sexually aware.

There are reasons, paths, decisions that lead us to where we are today. For the average SW, those paths are not pleasant ones. Say what you want about the police, but I agree with the Mod, their hands are tied. I believe if you spoke with them, they are not interested in "padding their arrest stats" or any such nonsense, but are genuinely concerned about both the SW and the potential John with respect to possible violence and disease (HIV, Hep C, etc.).

I believe, as the problem will never entirely disappear, that decriminalization and zoning should be strongly considered. Currently however, I do not want the SW's even remotely near my residence.

You may enjoy the work ($) now, but I challenge any SP to state honestly that when they were a little girl, when asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" your response was an Escort. Even when you became more sexually aware.

I'll admit, I've dreamed about working in the sex industry since about age 10. When I looked at sexy women whether it be in commercials, Playboy, media, etc., I wanted to be her. When I was 11 I read a short novel about a girl who was 16 and ran away from home and became a stripper. After that, I was hooked.

I didn't view women in the sex industry as exploited or degraded. I viewed them as powerful women and I've always viewed my sexuality as being the most powerful thing I possess.

Fortunateone - I agree. Few people become the ballerina or cowboy or princess or firefighter. My point perhaps should have been more toward becoming a SW, not an SP. Thankfully we have many high class, well educated, sincere SP's who thoroughly enjoy their work. God knows I have had the misfortune of spending time with SP's who were clearly not interested in the work, staring at the clock, drunk, high or all of the above. Thanks to this and other similar sites, that no longer occurs.

Excellent topic and good discussion. If only our politicians were Cerbites...