Ex-Prostituted Women Fight Back in Ontario, Canada

According to a Montreal Gazette article, the prostitution issue in Ontario is still under fire, for good reason. Ex-prostituted womyn protested in front Ontario Superior Court after finding out about the courts attempt to appeal three major laws surrounding prostitution. The womyn declared that the laws were unconstitutional as they victimized women who were forced into the sex trade by pimps. According to the Montreal Gazette, many ex-prostituted womyn are declaring that by getting rid of these laws, womyn are being put at risk.

"Prostitution is violence against women and it puts our children at risk," said Natasha Falle, a former high-end escort and founder of the advocacy group Sex Trade 101, which includes frontline workers, speakers and activists for the rights of sex workers and former prostitutes. "By wiping out these laws, we are giving men a legal right to harass and procure women on the streets."

"It is not a choice you go into this business. Women who do it are in desperate situations," said Baptie. "I was backed into a wall."

The protesters were almost all ex-prostituted womyn or somehow involved in human trafficking. Also,

Last week, Justice Susan Himel ruled in favour of three sex-trade workers who argued that laws prohibiting them from communicating for the purpose of prostitution, running a bawdy house and living off the avails of prostitution put their lives at risk.

The 131-page ruling, which took a year to complete, effectively decriminalizes the world's oldest trade.

The federal government opposes the ruling and is planning an appeal.

I'm so thankful that other womyn are speaking up against these recent appeals. I'm also glad that the federal government is looking for an appeal. I wish Canada would realize, however, that these womyn are NOT criminals. The criminals here are the pimps and johns. It's lazy to simply make it all legal or illegal, it takes work and dedication to adopt a new model, like the Swedish Model. There is no doubt in my mind that the Swedish Model, although flawed, will greatly improve human sex trafficking in Canada while still giving more opportunities in life.

Prostitution apologists often say "it's the oldest profession on earth" as if this suddenly redeems the practice all together. You know what else is old? Murder and rape. They have dated back forever, so we should just deal with it. This is such an effortless way to try and defend something that hurts and kills womyn world-wide.

The fact that these brave womyn came out to spread the word that selling womyn is NOT okay, and men don't have a RIGHT to womyn's bodies is fantastic and brave. If we keep working we can reform a system that feeds off money, greed and the bodies of womyn.