Prostitution in Canada
RESEARCH PAPER
Prostitution in Canada
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
History of prostitution in Canada 3
Definition of prostitution 4 * What is prostitution? 4 * Causes of women entering prostitution 4 * Troubled childhood 5 * Homelessness, poverty, employment and drugs 5 * Friends 6 * The most dangerous places 6
Consequences of prostitution 7 * Health and Safety Risks 7 * Health Risks 7 * Safety Risks 8
How to prevent prostitution? 9 * Legalization 9 * How to quit prostitution? 9
Conclusion 9
Works Cited 11
Prostitution in Canada
Introduction
Prostitution is a controversial subject, involving complex and contradictory interests, values and issues. The most visible evidence of prostitution, street solicitation, is an acute problem in large Canadian cities.
This essay focuses mainly on street prostitution in Canada, and on women, who represent the majority (75%) of prostitute workers. It mainly attempts to describe prostitution, its social, health and safety consequences. Is prostitution a problem itself, or is it part of a bigger problem?
History of prostitution in Canada
Throughout the 1800s, prostitution in Canada was organized primarily around brothels. The houses were grouped together, often sharing their neighbourhood with taverns in the poorer parts of town (Gray, 1971, pp.24-26).
In his book, Gray explains that at the turn of the century, with the development of the transcontinental railways, there was a mass migration of single men, “which created an environment in which prostitution flourished”. Brothels were located close to the railway stations (1971, pp.78-85). Little was done to close them, since the authorities felt that prostitution had to be tolerated because it could not be eradicated.
From 1890 on, legal repression made it more difficult
Prostitution in Canada
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
History of prostitution in Canada 3
Definition of prostitution 4 * What is prostitution? 4 * Causes of women entering prostitution 4 * Troubled childhood 5 * Homelessness, poverty, employment and drugs 5 * Friends 6 * The most dangerous places 6
Consequences of prostitution 7 * Health and Safety Risks 7 * Health Risks 7 * Safety Risks 8
How to prevent prostitution? 9 * Legalization 9 * How to quit prostitution? 9
Conclusion 9
Works Cited 11
Prostitution in Canada
Introduction
Prostitution is a controversial subject, involving complex and contradictory interests, values and issues. The most visible evidence of prostitution, street solicitation, is an acute problem in large Canadian cities.
This essay focuses mainly on street prostitution in Canada, and on women, who represent the majority (75%) of prostitute workers. It mainly attempts to describe prostitution, its social, health and safety consequences. Is prostitution a problem itself, or is it part of a bigger problem?
History of prostitution in Canada
Throughout the 1800s, prostitution in Canada was organized primarily around brothels. The houses were grouped together, often sharing their neighbourhood with taverns in the poorer parts of town (Gray, 1971, pp.24-26).
In his book, Gray explains that at the turn of the century, with the development of the transcontinental railways, there was a mass migration of single men, “which created an environment in which prostitution flourished”. Brothels were located close to the railway stations (1971, pp.78-85). Little was done to close them, since the authorities felt that prostitution had to be tolerated because it could not be eradicated.
From 1890 on, legal repression made it more difficult
Cited: Bullough, V. & Bullough, B. (1987). Women and Prostitution: A Social History. Prometheus Books. Chamberlain, W. (1998). Half of Sudbury Prostitutes Under 15 Years Old: Streetwalkers a growing problem in Nickel City. The Sudbury Star. Retrieved March 21, from http://www.thesudbury star.com Davies, N Garner, B. (1999). Black 's Law Dictionary, 7th edition. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Co. Gomme, I. (1993). The Shadow Line: Deviance and Crime in Canada "Prostitution," Toronto: Harcourt Brace Javanovich, 1993. Goodyear, M., Lowman, J., Fischer, B., & Green, M. (August 2005). Prostitutes are people too. Lancet, 366(9493), pp.1264-1265. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from EbscoHost Database. Gray, J. H. (1971). Red Lights on the Prairies. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. Lowman, J. (1992). Street Prostitution. In V. Sacco (Ed.), Deviance conformity and control in Canadian society (2nd ed.). Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc. Lowman, J., & Fraser, L. (1996). Violence against persons who prostitutes: The experience in British Columbia. Department of Justice Canada. Lowman, J. (2000). Victims and the Outlaw Status of (Street) Prostitution in Canada. Violence against women: An international and interdisciplinary journal, 6 (9). Retrieved March 20, 2011, from EbscoHost Database. Lowman, J. (July 2004). Reconvening the federal committee on prostitution law reform. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 71(2), pp.147-148. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from EbscoHost Database. MacQueen, K. (2010). How a serial killer slipped away. Maclean 's, 123(32), pp.22-23. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from EbscoHost Database. Maich, S. (October 2010). The case for treating the sex trade as an industry. Canadian Business, 83(17), 9. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from EbscoHost Database. Nixon, K., Tutty, L., Downe, P., Gorkoff, K., & Ursel, J. (2002). The Everyday Occurrence: Violence in the Lives of Girls Exploited Through Prostitution. Violence Against Women, 8(9), p.1016. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from EBSCOhost Database. (2004, July 20). Prostitution laws: health risks and hypocrisy. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. p.109. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from EbscoHost Database. Shannon, K. (September 2010). SALON. The hypocrisy of Canada 's prostitution legislation. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 182(12), 1388. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from EbscoHost Database. Silbert, M.H., & Pines, A.M. (1982). Victimization of Street Prostitutes. Victimology: An International Journal, 7(1), pp.122-133. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from EbscoHost Database. Statistics Canada. (1995). Street Prostitution in Canada (Catalogue no. 85-002-XPE, 17( 2)). Retrieved January 25, 2011, from http://statcan.ca/english/ Wood, E., Schachar, J., Li, K., et al