In the past few years there has been heavy debate regarding the Criminal Code and whether it violates certain charter rights of those working in the sex industry. In 2007, sex workers in Canada challenged the superior courts of Ontario and British Columbia. They argued that "sections of the Canadian Criminal Code violated their Charter rights by increasing the risks they face both on and off the job and exacerbating their marginalization". A few years later these claims were upheld and it was ruled that the laws "prohibiting communicating for the purpose of prostitution, running a bawdy house, and living on the avails of prostitution were unconstitutional because they would substantially increase the risk of harm to people working in the sex industry." This was then appealed by the federal government and so the debate has continued, with many opposing views regarding the best course of action the Canadian government should take.
To put it simply though there are ultimately two sides, one that believes that ours laws should become stricter and the fight on prostitution must continue. And the other side that sees decriminalization as the best course of action as it is beneficial to not only those whom work in the industry but society as a whole. This paper will examine the nature of the sex industry and the problems many of those in the industry face, and if decriminalization is beneficial to not only the sex workers but society as a whole.[1: Lewis, Jacqueline, Eleanor Frances, and M Shaver. Rising to the challenge: addressing the concerns of people working in the sex industry. master\., Canadian Review of Sociology, 2011. GALE ][2: Rising to the challenge: addressing the concerns of people working in the sex industry]
The status quo it seems for sex workers is an industry with...