Dear Friend,

As Christians, we believe that all humans are equal in dignity and worth. We are compelled to love, respect and honour one another as fellow image-bearers of God and to denounce all forms of violence, exploitation, and dehumanization. How we treat one another matters!
 
Prostitution violates human dignity because it treats fellow image-bearers of God as objects to be bought or sold for another’s gratification or profit. It is based on the assumption that men are entitled to paid access to women’s bodies, and that this paid access gives them the right to do what they want. Prostitution reinforces the inequality and subordination of women. These misogynistic attitudes and beliefs put women (and children) at increased risk of harm and exploitation.
 
Research shows that many individuals engaged in prostitution started when they were still minors. Many risk factors – such as poverty, homelessness, lack of education, lack of alternative employment opportunities, mental illness, history of abuse, addiction, racialization, and marginalization – contribute to individuals entering or remaining in prostitution or being vulnerable to exploitation. The vast majority are not there by choice and would get out if they felt they had a viable alternative.
 
In addition, prostitution and sex trafficking are inextricably linked. So long as there is a demand for paid sex, traffickers will work to ensure that a steady supply of women and children are available for purchase. If there is no demand for paid sex, traffickers would lack the financial incentive to sexually exploit those who are vulnerable.
 
Therefore, with the objective of significantly reducing the demand for paid sex, Canada passed the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) into law in 2014, making it a crime to buy sexual services or to profit from the sexual exploitation of another person.
 
The current laws recognize that prostitution is inherently dangerous and exploitative. Sex buyers, pimps, and traffickers are prosecuted for “crimes against the person” (considered violent offences) and face significant fines or jail time. And those who are prostituted are considered victims of exploitation and given immunity from prosecution.
 
This immunity means that sex workers can report incidences of sexual violence without fear of being arrested themselves. Recent statistics show that fewer sex workers were victims of homicide since PCEPA was passed.
 
The laws send a strong message that women and children are not for sale and rejects the idea that men have the self-assumed right to buy sexual services on demand and to do whatever they want with “their purchases.”
 
In February 2022, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights began its delayed five-year review to study the impact of the current prostitution laws. In its submission to the committee, the EFC recommended that the current laws be upheld and fully implemented and enforced across the country. The EFC also strongly advocated for comprehensive public education as well as significant and ongoing funding towards exit supports and services.
 
But there are groups that want the prostitution laws to be repealed. These groups are actively working to sway the Justice Committee and other MPs on the Hill as well as challenging the laws in the courts.
 
Significantly, in one recent case, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld the constitutionality of several PCEPA provisions, namely:

• the provisions against procuring another person to offer or provide sexual services,
• advertising someone else’s sexual services, and
• receiving a material benefit from someone else’s sexual services.

Under current laws, individuals selling their own sexual services can work together in collective, and third parties (e.g., accountants, landlords, security companies, etc.) may legally receive payment for goods and services provided to individuals selling their own sexual services, as long as the relationship is not exploitative.
 
In a separate case, the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform is challenging the constitutionality of several PCEPA provisions, including the ban on purchasing sex. They want the sex industry to be fully decriminalized. The EFC has just been granted intervener status before the Ontario Superior Court in this case. Please pray for us as we prepare to make written and oral arguments to the Court in defense of the constitutionality of the current laws. The EFC supports the current laws as a critical tool in curbing the demand for paid sex that fuels sexual exploitation.
 
As we approach law and policy, we must consider what kind of society we hope to leave for our children and grandchildren. We should strive for a society where all women and girls enjoy greater equality, greater safety, and freedom from abuse and exploitation – where our children grow up with a healthy respect for themselves, for one another, and for their sexuality.
 
We are compelled to affirm and promote human dignity. Human bodies are not commodities to be bought and sold. Please consider making a generous gift today. Thank you and God bless!



Sincerely,

Bruce Clemenger
President
 

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