One victim of sex slavery is one victim too many. We're ending human trafficking together.
For good.
Click above for the full article.
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
City MP has new sex-trade bill Buyers of illicit acts now targets
By: Mia Rabson
07/3/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0
OTTAWA -- Last year she went after the traffickers.
Now, Winnipeg MP Joy Smith is taking on the buyers.
This September, the Conservative MP from Kildonan-St. Paul will introduce legislation to criminalize the act of buying sex.
"I want to target the demand," said Smith. "If you take the market away, these victims aren't in such jeopardy."
Smith has made human trafficking the central focus of her political career and last year had a private member's bill passed implementing mandatory minimum sentences for convictions of trafficking a minor.
The first anniversary of the bill just passed, and Smith said she's not done trying to wage war against one of the biggest criminal industries in the world.
The new bill will be modelled after the Nordic model of prostitution, which views women who sell sex as victims and those who buy sex as criminals and oppressors.
Sweden was the first to pass a law criminalizing the purchase of sex in 1998, but it has had mixed reviews and the impact on prostitution in Sweden is the subject of some debate. Being caught buying sex in Sweden will net you a fine of approximately 50 days' pay or up to a year in jail.
Criminalizing sex was one of the recommendations in the national strategy against human trafficking Smith wrote and released last year.
Currently the law in Canada targets those who sell sex, rather than those who buy it.
That, however, is potentially going to change depending on the outcome of a court case in Ontario where a judge struck down three anti-prostitution laws, including keeping a common bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of prostitution. The decision has been put on hold pending a government appeal against the case.
Implementing a national strategy was one of the Conservatives' election promises, and Smith said she has the backing of the PMO for her new bill.
Although private member's bills are often considered the lowest of priority and get less time for debate than bills introduced by cabinet, Smith has a lucky streak going when it comes to her initiatives.
In 2008, she drew the third spot in the lottery for private member's bills that helped get the mandatory minimum sentence bill through. The draw, usually done at the start of each Parliament, determines the order in which the hundreds of bills introduced by individual MPs get debated. A low number gives a bill much better odds of actually making it to a vote.
When the draw was done this spring, Smith and her caucus-mates were shocked when she pulled a four.
"Everyone is teasing me saying they're going to take me to Las Vegas," said Smith.
Her first human trafficking bill, C-268, could get its first use after two men were arrested and charged with trafficking offences in the Halton and Peele regions of southern Ontario. They both face multiple charges including trafficking of a minor, the offence created by C-268. If convicted, they would be sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison.
mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 3, 2011 0
City MP has new sex-trade bill Buyers of illicit acts now targets
By: Mia Rabson
07/3/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0
OTTAWA -- Last year she went after the traffickers.
Now, Winnipeg MP Joy Smith is taking on the buyers.
This September, the Conservative MP from Kildonan-St. Paul will introduce legislation to criminalize the act of buying sex.
"I want to target the demand," said Smith. "If you take the market away, these victims aren't in such jeopardy."
Smith has made human trafficking the central focus of her political career and last year had a private member's bill passed implementing mandatory minimum sentences for convictions of trafficking a minor.
The first anniversary of the bill just passed, and Smith said she's not done trying to wage war against one of the biggest criminal industries in the world.
The new bill will be modelled after the Nordic model of prostitution, which views women who sell sex as victims and those who buy sex as criminals and oppressors.
Sweden was the first to pass a law criminalizing the purchase of sex in 1998, but it has had mixed reviews and the impact on prostitution in Sweden is the subject of some debate. Being caught buying sex in Sweden will net you a fine of approximately 50 days' pay or up to a year in jail.
Criminalizing sex was one of the recommendations in the national strategy against human trafficking Smith wrote and released last year.
Currently the law in Canada targets those who sell sex, rather than those who buy it.
That, however, is potentially going to change depending on the outcome of a court case in Ontario where a judge struck down three anti-prostitution laws, including keeping a common bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of prostitution. The decision has been put on hold pending a government appeal against the case.
Implementing a national strategy was one of the Conservatives' election promises, and Smith said she has the backing of the PMO for her new bill.
Although private member's bills are often considered the lowest of priority and get less time for debate than bills introduced by cabinet, Smith has a lucky streak going when it comes to her initiatives.
In 2008, she drew the third spot in the lottery for private member's bills that helped get the mandatory minimum sentence bill through. The draw, usually done at the start of each Parliament, determines the order in which the hundreds of bills introduced by individual MPs get debated. A low number gives a bill much better odds of actually making it to a vote.
When the draw was done this spring, Smith and her caucus-mates were shocked when she pulled a four.
"Everyone is teasing me saying they're going to take me to Las Vegas," said Smith.
Her first human trafficking bill, C-268, could get its first use after two men were arrested and charged with trafficking offences in the Halton and Peele regions of southern Ontario. They both face multiple charges including trafficking of a minor, the offence created by C-268. If convicted, they would be sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison.
mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 3, 2011 0
The Citizens Summit Against Human Trafficking is an historic convergence of aboriginal and women's groups, parliamentarians, academics, and community leaders from the broad horizon of Canadian diversity. We are non-partisan, connected and powerful in our unity. Together, we are committed to the abolition of human trafficking.
The Summit is working to end every form of sex slavery by a) protecting children, youth and women from any coercion into prostitution, b) ensuring the resources are in place to allow permanent escape from prostitution, and c) enhancing security against sex slavery through the accountable, effective and determined enforcement of Canadian and international law.
We have received, and are in the process of verifying, information that “at least ten women” were offered anonymously for sale in Vancouver on the opening day of the 2010 Winter Olympics. We have no evidence of meaningful action to ensure the Games and their celebration of the best of the human spirit translated into improved security against human trafficking. Learning from this experience, the Citizens Summit is building alliances locally and internationally to ensure the Olympic spirit always advances the fight for human dignity.
The 2010 Games are now a happy memory for many of us, and for at least ten of us they mark an experience of great suffering. We are resolved to ensure the lasting legacy of Vancouver 2010 will be the end of sex slavery in Canada and throughout the world. We invite the citizens of every Olympic city to join us in ensuring the International Olympic Committee respects the rule of international law, and becomes a driving force to end human trafficking everywhere.
We believe in the equality of human dignity, and we are working together to build a society in which everyone can be free at last. For everyone victimized by sex slavery, we demand emancipation now.
