







Prostitution will never go away. Sex is an innate human need, so the demand for it will always exist. The abolition of the consensual sex trade would only lead to a proliferation of underground sex rings, likely involving child sex slaves who are easier to kidnap and control.





The narrow-minded approach to the issue of prostitution makes it all the more dangerous, for sex workers and sex slaves alike.





will find it, even if it means they have to go deep underground to get it. That’s the reality of the trade. How can sex workers and their advocates not see that? The average Sex Workers' Right Activist (SWRA) wishes to make sex work and sex exploitation two separate issues. When, in reality, one always affects the other. When sex workers charge hundreds of dollars for their services, the demand for cheaper sex leads to competitive pricing . Hence, sex trafficking. Sex workers by choice may not be able to meet the demands for cheap sex, but those who demand itfind it, even if it means they have to go deep underground to get it. That’s the reality of the trade. How can sex workers and their advocates not see that?





The average abolitionist wants to try to end demand altogether, thus bringing an end to the sex trade. But, as I’ve already stated, the demand for sex will never end. If people who demand sex can’t access it through proper business channels, we’ll most definitely see a rise in rape, sex assault, child sex abuse, murder, and I shudder to think what else. So the push to end demand is a lost cause at best.





Then there are governments and human rights organisations that pretend as if they give a damn about sex workers and sex slaves. They do not. All they really want is to deport migrants, collect fines, or collect donations.





Very few people can actually see the bigger picture. I’m one of the few. I’ve experienced life before, during, and after sex work which I feel qualifies me to make a few recommendations for a new Canadian model, one that other nations could adapt and adjust accordingly.





th birthday when I got my first job working in a massage parlour in Toronto. I was a stupid girl with an airhead filled with stupid ideas. I was going to be rich because I was going to be making $1000-$3000 per week, and all I had to do was give and get a few massages. Before sex work, I lived in poverty (still working poor but no longer feeling desperate). Back then, I was so desperate to get out of poverty that I chose what I thought would be my golden ticket out. The ads in the national newspaper said “earn $1000-$3000 a week,” and I believed I would. I was three weeks short of my 18birthday when I got my first job working in a massage parlour in Toronto. I was a stupid girl with an airhead filled with stupid ideas. I was going to be rich because I was going to be making $1000-$3000 per week, and all I had to do was giveget a few massages.





It didn’t take very long for me to learn that the massage parlour was a body rub parlour, a full body massage meant full body rub and tug, and $1000-$3000 was false advertising. It also didn’t take me very long to learn that the sex trade was a cold dark world from which many are rarely ever able to escape.

Looking back now, those who did well in the sex trade are the ones who had a life outside of it. They were going to school, training for a profession; they were housewives who just needed some extra money to pay down their mortgages or to pay for their children’s piano lessons or sports teams. Sex work wasn’t a career for them. It was a temp job. They had bigger plans.





was real work. And that was the problem. The ones who depended solely on the trade were a mess. They were sleeping through the day and living life after hours, always high, drunk or high and drunk, usually having problems with their unemployed boyfriends. I tried going to school. I studied journalism for a while but, disillusioned by the politics of journalism, I soon grew more dependent on sex work and fell into that messy group. I fell into that group because I no longer had a career goal or a clear purpose for why I was providing sexual services. I was making money and got to spend time with some rich people, so I didn’t feel so poor anymore. For me, sex workreal work. And that was the problem.





The point? Ask ten sex workers who claim that “sex work is real work” to tell you how they ended up in the sex trade. Nine times out 10, the path that led them there was one filled with poverty, crime, abuse, addiction, mental illness, or a general need for love and acceptance. Ask those nine people what they hope to accomplish once they leave the sex trade and they’ll likely need more time to think it through. The only part of the picture that they are able to see is a very narrow path to the money. Of course there are some exceptions. There are also the spoiled brats who come from well-to-do families, yet still want more but don't feel the need to really work for it.





Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, it is still not a crime in Canada to sell sex for money. Under Canada’s new, it is still not a crime in Canada to sell sex for money.





Now if the goal of sex trade advocates is to make the sex trade safer for providers and the goal of the government is to keep communities and exploited persons safe, overhauling the sex trade and creating a well-organised, well-run Sex Industry would be the more realistic approach to prostitution. Anything less than reorganisation (including decriminalisation without legislation/regulation or legislation/regulation without decriminalisation) is dangerous.





If sex work is real work, then sex workers will have to have the same responsibilities that real workers have. Imagine a bigger picture. Consider the following (compare it to your nation’s current prostitution laws):





The term “sex worker” could be replaced with something like “sexual service provider” to refer to those who sell sex for money. After all, sex workers do provide a necessary service, one that keeps the public safe from perverts and degenerates. (No not all “Johns” are degenerate, but there are too many who are.) Clients would be referred to as clients, not “Johns” or “buyers”. Dignity and respect for those involved in the trade is crucial to any plan.

Those providers would receive proper on-the-job paid training, including training in safe sex practices, laws related to sex work, and any relevant training offered through the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. Employers would also have to comply with any Employment Standards set by the Ministry of Labour in each province or territory, as well as Federal Labour Standards set by the government of Canada. The training, practices, standards, etc., may vary from province to province (country to country), but you get the idea.

Owners/Operators of establishments that offer sexual services would need to be registered and licenced as any business would be. They would be able to advertise their businesses as well, and they would be liable for false advertising.



Body Rub Attendants and Adult Entertainers would receive the same training and comply with the same employment standards set out by the provinces/territories and the government of Canada. As employees, they would no longer require individual licences.



A Body Rub Parlour may require its attendants to pass a medical and/or criminal background screening, but those two things would no longer be required by law. Clients would need to do their own due diligence when seeking a particular service. Those working in brothels or as outcall escorts, however, would require annual medical screening. To oppose that is just nasty.

Independent escorts, providers, attendants, entertainers, etc. would be considered self-employed. They would require a business licence like any other self-employed individual. If more than one independent person works in the same place, each would need to hold an individual licence; otherwise, the self-employed person who does hold the licence may be considered the owner/operator of a brothel and would be liable as such.

As for wages, those would remain as is. Employee wages are set by the employer, but standard minimum wages (similar to that of alcohol servers) would apply. Employer sets standard rates for services. Gratuities are negotiated between employee and client. Self-employed persons set their own wages

Establishments may be unionized under a national Sexual Service Providers Union (or something to that effect), but membership would not be mandatory. Employees would contribute part of their earnings to a government pension, Employment Insurance, union dues, etc. And workers would be eligible for any employment-related benefits, including unemployment benefits and maternity/paternity benefits, child-care subsidies, etc.

Sex and sexual health would be recognised as a legitimate health issue in Canada, and such services would be covered by government or private health insurance plan (for seniors, persons with disabilities etc.).

Those who choose to seek employment outside of the sex industry would be able to list (for example) “Adult Entertainer” on their resumes without fear of discrimination. Refusing or terminating employment based on sex would be viewed as discrimination, and would be deemed a legitimate basis for a claim against the business in question.

Workers who are injured on the job (including sexual assault or rape-related injuries) would be eligible to make a work-related compensation claim. Depending on the circumstances, employers may also be held liable. Rape is still a criminal matter and would still be handled as such.

Crimes against sexual service providers, including physical/sexual assault and rape, would carry a mandatory prison sentence; and the victim would be compensated accordingly. The sentence would be greater if the perpetrator is a member of law enforcement. Receiving sexual services and then demanding money back with threats of fines/arrest would also be considered a form of assault.



Any person under the age of 18 would not be able to be employed within the sex industry, and all victims of sex trafficking would qualify for refugee status in Canada. Any person found to be traffickig children under the age of 18 would serve a mandatory prison sentence, and the child victim(s) would be compensated accordingly. Employers and governments could be held liable if they are found to be negligent in preventing child sex slavery.





or transition safely out of the industry, sex work is NOT real work. Obviously this model needs some tweaking, but it's a start. Unless or until those who claim they want the best for society, “sex workers” or “exploited persons” are willing to make an honest effort to see to it that sex workers and exploited persons are able to work in a well organised sex industrytransition safely out of the industry, sex work is NOT real work.