REED has joined with a team of local Vancouver activists, individuals and organizations, to create a social media driven campaign to raise awareness about the current prostitution legislation in Canada. Help us tell Ottawa to keep women decriminalized and give them the protect of the law (Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act).
Comment on and share the Facebook Campaign.
Visit the BuyingSexIsACrime Website.
Taken from www.buysexisacrime.org:
“We are a diverse and experienced group of individuals and organizations that have worked to end the sexual exploitation of men, women, and children for many years. Based on the data that 92% of individuals in prostitution are not there by choice1, we believe that prostitution is a result of systemic inequality perpetuated by poverty, gender inequality, racial discrimination, violence, patriarchy, and a history of colonization. While acknowledging that some individuals in prostitution may operate out of their own free will and with full autonomy, we recognize that these individuals are the privileged minority and that most people in prostitution do not have the luxury or ability to walk away.
Due to the nature of prostitution, we recognize that sex buyers are the ones who drive the demand for a market that preys upon and abuses individuals caught in prostitution and that a legal framework for selling sexual services is a direct deterrent to women’s equality. Therefore, we are adamantly against the full decriminalization and legalization of prostitution in Canada including brothels and bawdy houses, pimping and procuring, the purchasing of sexual services, and any other format in which people are commercially sexually exploited.
We aim to see people live free from the violence of prostitution by providing access to tangible exit strategies, a sustainable living wage, holistic mental and physical healthcare, as well as safe and affordable housing for those who wish to exit and start new lives.”
