Dear Friend,
The EFC and the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada are poised to co-intervene in a crucial case before the Supreme Court of Canada this November.
It’s a case that affects us all because it deals with human dignity and equality. It’s a case that challenges us to think about whether we believe everyone should be treated with respect or whether we believe it’s okay for some people be treated like property, to be bought and sold.
As Christians, we believe that human dignity flows from God’s creation of humans in His image, from His outpouring of love for us, and from Jesus’ willing sacrifice for us. As such, we are compelled to love, respect and honour one another; to uphold each person’s inherent worth as His image-bearers; and to denounce all forms of violence, exploitation, and dehumanization. We must oppose any actions that are harmful or that undermine or attack human dignity and equality.
That’s why we can never accept prostitution as “normal” or as “work” and must continue to strongly oppose attempts to legitimize it. Contrary to what some would way, prostitution is not just something that happens between consenting adults “in private.”
Prostitution is a system of sexual exploitation that is inherently violent and that disproportionately and negatively impacts women and girls, putting them at increased risk of physical and emotional abuse, coercion, manipulation, assault, and trafficking. It reinforces hateful and misogynistic attitudes toward women, and encourages harmful beliefs about sexual intimacy and gender equality. Far from being a private act, prostitution endangers the health and welfare of individuals, families, communities, and our entire society.
As well, prostitution preys on the young (and alarmingly, the
very young), and further marginalizes people who already suffer from vulnerabilities due to extreme poverty, history of abuse, family breakdown, or racialization. They are often the targets of sexual exploitation – being coerced into the sex trade by threats or force, emotional manipulation or deception, or financial dependency.
The EFC has worked hard to advocate for laws aimed at eradicating prostitution in Canada and around the world. Our efforts have not been in vain. Our government has affirmed that prostitution is a form of sexual exploitation and in 2014, enacted the
Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (
PCEPA) with the objective of curbing the demand for paid sex.
We have long argued that, as long as there is a demand for paid sex, women and children will be sexually exploited because traffickers are financially motivated to ensure that there is a steady supply of bodies available for purchase. Under the PCEPA laws, individuals who are prostituted are immunized from criminal prosecution for selling their own sexual services. Instead, the current prostitution laws criminalize those who buy the sexual services of others as well as those who profit from the sexual exploitation of others.
These laws, which we fought long and hard for, are currently being challenged in court. This is where we need your urgent help.
This case, which will be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada in November, involves two men who were employed by an escort business in Calgary that was run by convicted traffickers. In 2023, the highest court in Alberta found them guilty of having violated two sections of the
Criminal Code which makes it illegal (1) to benefit financially from the prostitution of others and (2) to procure women into the sex trade.
The lawyers for the two men are challenging the constitutionality of the two laws under which the men were convicted, arguing that they are too broad and may capture activities that are not exploitative. They question their conviction because they did not personally procure the women into prostitution – they were “just hired” to help run a business.
But let me be clear. To exploit someone is to take unfair advantage of them – to use another person’s vulnerability for one’s own selfish gain. These men
knowingly participated in a business that profited financially from the sexual exploitation of women. So even if it is true that they didn’t directly coerce or manipulate anyone into prostitution, they clearly supported and facilitated the exploitation of the women in order to profit from the ill-gotten gains. The fact that these men were captured under the PCEPA laws means the objective of the laws is being met.
This is the first time that the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of the prostitution laws under PCEPA. It is very important for the EFC to be there to support the current laws. PCEPA is an essential tool in the fight against sexual exploitation. We must send a strong message that no one’s body should ever be sold.
God calls us to care for those who are vulnerable, to seek justice and to defend those who need protection. We must act to uphold human dignity and to protect vulnerable persons from exploitation, victimization and abuse. Please support our efforts to fight prostitution and sexual exploitation by making a charitable donation
today and praying that these critical laws will be upheld. Thank you for caring!
Sincerely,
Dr. David Guretzki
President & CEO