THE MET BLOG
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COMMERCIAL SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL IN CANADA, but are prostitution bans wrong?
Earlier this week, headlines read, “Disappointment, Joy after Ontario Court Dismisses Sex Workers' Charter Challenge.” If you weren’t sure what to make of it, you’re in the majority. Just as the earth had thawed enough in Toronto to let the crocuses peak through, a chilling 2021 suit was filed in court in a bid to decriminalize prostitution. A network of prostitutes and pro-prostitution agencies called the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform (CASWLR) claimed that Canada’s prostitution laws were in violation of their members’ Charter Rights. ...
Why We Defend Canada’s Prostitution Law
Recently, the only law that stands between sex traffickers and the freedom to exploit women in the sex industry was legally challenged by a group of "pro-sex work" advocates. This is not the first time that Canada's prostitution laws have been challenged, after the previous challenge Bill C-36 (also known as the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act) was made into law. This saw the burden of the crime of prostitution shifting from the prostituted person (who we now recognize in Canada as a victim of exploitation) to the buyer and any third party who exercises control over the...
Do anti-human trafficking laws increase risk?
Recently Kitchener Judge Thomas McKay, in superior court, decided that criminal charges brought against brothel owners were “unconstitutional” because in his opinion “Legislation for which the stated purposes include eliminating exploitation and reducing the risk of violence to sex workers actually has the effect of exposing sex workers to an increased risk of exploitation...” But does it? In the years that I’ve been researching this topic, partnering with various anti-human trafficking organizations, and working directly...
Human Trafficking: A Supply and Demand Problem
There are so many great people, and organizations, out there doing their best to fight human trafficking. In most cases, this means offering some level of support to those whom have been victimized by traffickers; or in the case of police agencies, prosecuting the traffickers. These are great things, and a very important part of what needs to be done. However, the further we go with these focusses, the clearer it becomes: this will not end human trafficking. For every girl that is “rescued” from the industry (to use the...
Does Legalizing Prostitution make things better or worse?
The most divisive issue, when people discuss human trafficking, is the topic of legalization vs. criminalization. There are two major schools of thought on it, and people tend to be fairly entrenched in their ideas on the matter; whether that’s because of lived experience, political views, or something else altogether everyone has their take. I also have my take, which I hold because I have spent time carefully listening to the experts, and reviewing large scale studies, and it seems to me that the evidence mostly points to the same thing. I believe that the best results can be achieved when...
Advocating for Change
Since its inception, Men Ending Trafficking has always focused on advocating for those impacted by human trafficking, as well as providing practical support. This can be a difficult, and often discouraging endeavour for many reasons. To do it well, one must listen to many traumatic personal stories, to really understand the weight of the issues and identify key details. One must also conduct countless hours of research on the ways different policies have affected victims around the world. After all of that, speaking out on the issue risks offending others who have a different opinion, and it...
Human Trafficking: The Three Dimensions
Human Trafficking - A quick profile into where and how much it happens Just recently in June 2019, the Toronto Star published an article profiling the experience of a recent victim of sex trafficking. The woman, a student at the University of Toronto, was coerced into a trafficking ring through 2 men, both of which "...had attended the same school and were involved in the local rap video scene." This is the new face of sex trafficking today. The players can still be part of organized crime groups and gangs, or military organizations in developing parts of the world. Increasingly, they can be...
Safeguard: why we do it
Safeguard is one of two main areas that Men Ending Trafficking has been focused on over the past few years. It is a difficult program to run at times, we need to gather adequate teams of volunteers, screen them carefully, train and prepare them ahead of time, and commit to being on site and ready to serve for often unknown periods of time because of the complications inherent in our criminal justice system. It can be tough on our volunteers and on us. So why do we do it? The simple answer is: the need. There is a need for us...
A First Step
I have been involved in spreading awareness, and working to help victims, of human trafficking for about two years now. Having attended many seminars, presentations, awareness events, and fundraisers, the most common question I hear on the subject is: how do we actually stop human trafficking? It is always sort of bitter-sweet hearing this question for me. I am so glad that people are looking forward, that they are looking for a way to end this terrible exploitation that has run unchecked for so long, that there is hope in...
The 20 REASONS Girls Enter and Stay in the Sex Industry
From communities across Canada, untold numbers of young women* are involved in escorting, street walking, exotic massage, stripping and pornography. These common activities of the domestic sex industry strip away “human dignity” and have a “disproportionate impact on women and children”.** Despite the resulting extreme emotional and physical toll, many young women will remain in the industry for a very long time. It can be truly devastating for family and friends to watch this happen, and it can also be confusing to understand why the girls don’t just come home. In the end, most make it out...