On International Sex Workers’ Rights Day, Action Canada affirms that sex work is legitimate work and that all people, in Canada and around the world, deserve to work in safety and dignity. We stand alongside sex workers in solidarity as they fight to claim their rights to health, safety, bodily autonomy, and non-discrimination.
In Canada, sex workers—people who exchange sexual services for money or goods—are criminalized, overpoliced, and denied their fundamental rights.
Two weeks ago, a judge in Kitchener, Ontario ruled that Canada’s sex work laws violate Charter rights. These laws criminalize bodily autonomy and sexuality, and force sex workers to work alone, resulting in isolation and a dangerous work environment.
It is our duty as allies and human rights defenders to support sex worker rights. Over 130 organizations across Canada agree: the Government of Canada must remove all laws that criminalize sex work, in consultation with sex workers themselves.