WUNRN
CANADA
UNVEILS NEW PROSTITUTION LAW
June 5,
2014 (AFP) -
The new law switches the focus of
criminal charges from sellers of sex to potential buyers, and prohibits
advertising sexual services.
"We're targeting Johns and pimps,
those that treat sexual services as a commodity," Justice Minister and
Attorney General Peter MacKay.
He said the measure will endeavor to protect communities as well as vulnerable people, "and recognizes the inherent dangers associated with prostitution."
Under the law, penalties will range from a $1,000 fine to 14 years in prison.
The Supreme Court in December struck down key provisions of the original law that effectively criminalized prostitution, saying that they endangered prostitutes.
But the high court stayed its unanimous decision for one year to allow
Parliament to consider whether or not to impose other limits on where and how
prostitution may be conducted.
The legal challenge was brought by
three sex workers who argued that
The three
The law, they said, had also prevented
them from taking safety measures such as hiring security guards or screening
potential clients in an effort to protect themselves from violence.
They called for the right to open
brothels to provide a safer environment for prostitutes.
A lower court found the measures, aimed
largely at curbing nuisance crimes linked to prostitution, to be
"arbitrary, overbroad or grossly disproportionate," and indeed put
sex workers at risk.
The top court agreed, saying the curbs
infringe on prostitutes' "constitutional right to security of the
person."