COLLAB 2D03 Lecture 18: Chapter 18
2 Jan 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Chapter 18 - COMMERCIAL SEX
THE WORLD OF COMMERCIAL SEX
• Sex as commerce
• Multi billion dollar business
• Examples?
PROSTITUTION
• Sale of sexual activity for money or goods of value (e.g. drugs)
Motive
• Past -> idea that women did not enjoy sex
• Better to visit a prostitute, than “soil” ones wife
• Today -> economic?
Are strippers prostitutes? Is there a difference regarding how society views male versus female strippers?
Prostitution Law in Canada
Confusing -> prostitution isn’t illegal but most activities involved are
Criminal Code prohibits
• Transporting, directing, or offering to transport or direct one to a bawdy house
• Keeping, being an inmate of, or allowing a place to be used as a bawdy house
• Procuring and living off the avails of prostitution
• Communicating in a public place for the purposes of offering or obtaining the sexual services of a prostitute
• Some Canadian cities have tried to regulate by licensing escorts and escort agencies (register with police and
keep records)
• Many federal laws affect prostitutes but not the johns
• Criminal code has become restrictive, police accused of entrapment
“john schools”
• ‘educational intervention’
• Men charged with communicating for the purpose of prostitution have charges erased from official court
record if they attend
• Include presentations from prostitutes, lectures of STIs, impact on community, donation expected
• Criticisms?
• Focused on morality, shame, on sided negative view
Legal Challenges
• Attempts to legalize have failed largely due to ideas rooted in values
• 2007 due to frustration a small group of lawyers and sex workers launched a constitutional challenges to the
prostitution laws
• 2010 OSC struck down the laws and would consider the challenge
• 2013 SCC rules that aspects of the law (see below)
• Keeping, being an inmate of, or allowing a place to be used as a bawdy house
• Procuring and living off the avails of prostitution
• Communicating in a public place for the purposes of offering or obtaining the sexual services of a
prostitute
• Had 1 year top replace with new legislation
BILL C-36 The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act
• Many hope for decriminalization but this ensured
• Main feature selling of sex legal with some restrictions and buying of sex illegal
• So target changed from workers to customers
Penalties
• So target changed from workers to customers
• Up to 10 years in prison for those who receive financial benefit from sale of sex services (e.g. pimps, escort
owners)
• Also restrictions for adverting
What are your views on prostitution?
Should it be legalized/regulated where they would pay taxes like every other citizen?
Should prostitution be a choice? Is it a choice?
Canadian Attitudes Toward Prostitution
• Church attendance is a strong predictor of attitude
Female Sex Workers
• Classified according to the settings they work in
• Sex trade workers work part time or temporarily
Street–Based Sex Workers
• Solicit customers on the street
• occupy bottom rung of hierarchy (lowest income, least desirable and educated)
• Usually have pimps (lover-father-companion-master) and suffer of abuse, risk of arrest
• unresponsive and don’t have orgasm -> stereotype
• Streetwalkers that work hotels/conventions have a higher status
Brothel Workers
• Middle position in hierarchy
• Work in brothel or message parlour
• Not as lucrative as call girl but not as degrading as streetwalker
The Massage-Parlour Workers
• Legitimate establishments that serve as fronts for prostitution (pay for massage then tip for sexual extras)
• Topless massage, nude massage, body slide, nude reverse
Escorts
• Typically (not always) fronts for prostitution
• Tend to have middle class backgrounds and well educated
• Arrangements with legitimate companies to provide “escorts” for visiting customers or potential clients
Call Girls
• Arrange for their sexual contacts by telephone
• Occupy highest rung, tend to be most attractive, and well educated so they charge more
• Middle class background, work on their own, lead luxurious lifestyle and selective about their customers
• “incalls” (receive clients in their apartments) “outcalls” (go to clients home or hotel)
• More than sexual contact- conversation, company/companionship, may be for a few hours or even a weekend
• May have a bodyguard or a contact person to keep them safe
Support Groups for Sex Workers
Legal aid
Maggie’s & the Prostitutes’ Safe Sex Project of Toronto
• 1st education project in Canada
• Ran by sex workers
International Human Trafficking
• Major global enterprise
• Toronto 2008 6 arrested after women from Eastern Europe lured for modelling jobs
Entry Into Sex Work
No single factor explains entry
• Poverty and sexual and/or physical abuse play a role
• Conflict ridden or single parent homes
• From poor urban or rural farming communities
• High level of psychological disturbance
• PTSD
• Developing nations -> sell daughters to recruiters
• Runaways tend to abuse drugs and alcohol
Some voluntarily enter and do not feel like victims
Male Customers of Female Sex Workers
• Men come from all walks of life, socioeconomic and racial groups
Types of Customer
“Occasional johns”
• Most common -> traveling salesmen, military personnel, etc.
“Habitual johns”
• Major or exclusive outlet
• Some have never established intimate relationships (wealthy men)
“compulsive johns”
• Driven to meet a psychological or sexual need
• may suffer from Whore-Madonna complex
Motives for Buying Sex
• Sex without negotiation (don’t have to spend time, effort, money)
• Sex without emotional commitment
• Sex for eroticism or variety
• Prostitution as sociability as a social outlet (“stopping off” place between home and work)
• Sex away from home (businessmen)
• Difficulty attracting a partner/Problematical sex (physical disabilities, disfiguring condition)
Male Sex Workers
Includes male-male and male-female activities
Gigolos
• service older, wealthier, unattached female clients- often companionship with older women
• serve as escorts or surrogate sons
• may or may not offer sexual services
