Bill C-36’s negative impact on racialized and migrant sex workers

Bill C-36, The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, was passed and received the royal assent to become law.

As many have stated, although the new law is supposedly about “protection” of sex workers, it will continue to endanger sex workers’ lives and violate their human rights instead because of its continued criminalization of sex work.

Criminalizing services — including purchasing sex, prohibiting communication in many public places and restricting advertising — will largely recreate the same problems identified by the court in Bedford. It will force this work to go underground and will further restrict and stigmatize sex workers.

Furthermore, not only will it increase the isolation and exclusion of all sex workers, it will have an especially negative impact on racialized and migrant sex workers, affecting their health, equity, dignity, safety and human rights.

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