Youth Prostitution In Canada - Essay Example

Running head: SOCIAL ISSUE IN CANADA Youth Prostitution In Canada By ___________________ Introduction In Canada, prostitution is a mainly female occupation; however males are also not behind due to the reason that one can earn handsome amount while providing sexual services in a country like Canada where prostitution upholds legal position. It is estimated through various research work that female street prostitutes outnumber males. The 'typical' Canadian street prostitute, either male or female, enters the trade somewhere between the ages of thirteen and nineteen years, usually after running away from either a state home (group homes, foster homes, etc.) or the home of one or both natural parents. They believe they had to run as they find home life intolerable. None of these push factors alone; explain why they turn to prostitution. How and why they turn to be prostitutes is not that important as the importance of independent street life to them. What is attractive about street life is that it allows the runaway or disaffiliated youth a sense of belonging, a feeling of autonomy, and a means of financial independence. Most important of all, street prostitution provides a means of subsistence. And the fast and substantial money that it does bring to a core group of prostitutes symbolizes much that is cherished in mainstream materialist Western culture. (Davis, 1993, p. 72) Youth Prostitution In Canada - Some facts According to the Canadian Women's Health Network, Prostitution and sex business in Canada is a multi-billion dollar market, which is developed annually on the basis of maintaining prostitution business at the rate of $400 million. (CWHN, June 2006) Prostitution alone does not refer to the social international issues, which are at continuous ignorance since 1980s in Canada, but it includes the involvement of male as well as females as customers, pimps and prostitutes. The dilemma is that after 20 years of implementing the policies for prostitution, it is still on a growing trend, where youth is deeply influenced by this profession. The matter of concern is what attracts the younger generation to get involved into sex trade and entering and exiting of youth into this profession are those facts, which are also responsible for health issues. According to factbook on Global sexual exploitation in Canada, "Most of the young girls that are trafficked and forced into prostitution in Canada are transmitted from city to city, from Seattle to San Francisco to Oakland to Phoenix to Honolulu and Portland. The pimps move them every 3-4 weeks". (Portland Police Officer Doug Kosloske, The Province, 19 December 1997) Statistics According to a report by Duchesne D., fluctuations are seen every year in the prostitution trend, which highlight the implementation of law and order according to jurisdiction. While giving example, she concludes, "between 1994 and 1995, the total number of prostitution incidents in Canada rose 29%, largely due to a substantial rise in communicating offences in Vancouver. But this increase followed two years of steep declines, mainly traced to Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary (in 1994), and Vancouver (in 1993)". (Duchesne, 2006) Due to the leniency of Canadian jurisdiction towards penalizing men in prostitution, since 1980s Canadian men are more motivated towards working in this profession either in the form of pimps, customers or male young prostitutes. Street Prostitution There are many concerns related with "sex work on streets" among which the major problem, which the public is confronted to, is its elimination from the public areas. Most of the people consider it private and so they support the view that "street prostitution" should not be in public places. Of course there are many reasons affiliated with the concern. Street Prostitution has been the most common problem in Canada since the actions, which were taken in 1980s. Those actions were not taken keeping in view the major reasons for as to why youth is getting involved into the profession, but measures were taken due to the irritation public had to confront while moving across streets. According to Lowman (2001) "The actions of male customers and the conditions that led to youth involvement in prostitution, including male sexual socialization and female poverty, were largely ignored. Street prostitution was the break down of law and order, and most of the talk was about how to restore order". (Lowman, 2001) The outcome was that the street prostitution and those centres, which were running at the heart of the city, seized for the time being due to the pressures from police and legal authorities but not in other cities. Rather, from this instance, other cities started growing with many prostitutes in the neighbourhood. Canadian Legislation/ Policies The legislative history of sexual influence and prostitution indicates there has been always a tremendous growth in sex offenses, rape and prostitution. Despite of the concern of several Human Rights commission, today female prostitutes are deprived of legislatory actions taken on behalf of law enforcement agencies. Rather it would be better to say that Canadian women, whether prostitutes or victims of rape are blamed for their acts, on the other hand men are given equal protection for their involvement in sex trade. The Human Rights Code, which lists everyone's basic rights, does not include the words 'sexual orientation'. Therefore, a homosexually oriented person can be discriminated against on the job, or in housing situations. In reality, it is difficult to prove discrimination on any ground but the majority of people think twice before actually discriminating when the Human Rights Code protects people's rights. (Schlesinger, 1977, p. 157) but prostitutes are not subjected to any human rights. The Immigration Act, Sec. 5, E&F, states that anyone who enters Canada for the purposes of practising homosexualism, pimping, or prostitution is excluded entrance and that anyone who is subsequently discovered to be 'a homosexual, a pimp, or a prostitute' will be deported. Officials seldom ask if a person is a homosexual, pimp, or prostitute, but deportations and denials are usually carried out under the clause, which states that anyone having a criminal record cannot immigrate to Canada. (Schlesinger, 1977, p. 157) There is no official law, which states that a homosexually oriented person cannot be employed by the government as a civil servant or a member of the armed forces. Many homosexually oriented people are employed in such areas. However, if someone is suspected or found to be homosexually oriented, then that person is considered a security risk. The only reason homosexually oriented people in government are likely prospects for blackmail is the fact that they will lose their jobs if their sexuality is discovered; therefore, they are security risks. This circular reasoning has caused a lot of unhappiness and confusion for homosexually oriented individuals in Canada. (Schlesinger, 1977, p. 157) Prostitution Status (Legal/Illegal) Prostitution is legal in Canada as long as it is not followed or practiced in public places. It is considered illegal to maintain 'bawdy houses' according to new Prostitution Control Act in 1985. According to the law, prostitution dealing, transactions taking places between customer and prostitute, pimps communication to customer or prostitute, or any type of communication between customer and prostitute in open streets which is subjected to public's access is strictly prohibited. However, it is allowed in hotel rooms or other places where a customer can hire a call girl at the rate of 150 Canadian dollars per hour. (Legal, 2006) Prostitution with respect to Canadian Law The main problem, which concerns the Canadian law, is not prostitution, but the conductance of sex trade on streets and roads, and that often due to complains made by Canadian citizens. After a long period of enacting prostitution law, Canadian Department of Justice in order to analyze as to what extent it is followed in main cities conducted a survey according to which it was found that Montreal, Quebec City, Niagara Falls, Ottawa and Halifax, have been subjected to a reduction of street prostitution after implementing of the law. However, the survey was unable to extract any conclusion for the reason it was not sure for how long the law obedience would be followed. (Reform, 2006) Currently four clusters of prostitution are related as crimes in Canada: (1) procuring for the purpose of or living on the avails of prostitution, (2) bawdy house offenses, (3) communicating in a public place for the purpose of buying or selling sexual services, and (4) purchase of sexual services from youths and children. (Davis, 1993, p. 56) Protecting the rights of Prostitutes Usually, prostitutes despise 'square' women for doing what they do in relation to men. They seem very clear-sighted when it comes to assessing the position of most straight women in our society. They see marriage as a socially accepted but badly paid form of prostitution. As evidence, the prostitutes cite the behaviour and words of men who come to them for sex, usually for something they couldn't ask their wives to do or for phony love and understanding which the men often say they don't get in their square marriages. They complain that their wives are not carrying out their part of the bargain. Prostitutes generally despise square women, but they despise their clients, men, much more. (Schlesinger, 1977, p. 233) Finally, when pushed far enough, prostitutes are vaguely aware that they have low self-images, are lacking in self-esteem. They represent the extreme of reification of self. They even often regard their sexual organs as their weapon, their economic equipment, their 'money box', as one put it. (Schlesinger, 1977, p. 233) Prostitution is the logical and ultimate development of our society's treating its women as sex objects and the relationship between the sexes as power politics based on economics. The degrading of one person into sex object is absolute when the person so degraded is denied the right to reciprocate and is fobbed off instead with payment of some sort or another. When the payment implies, as it usually does, a situation in which the payer is superior and the payee inferior, the circle is complete and we are describing not only prostitution but also legalized marriage! (Schlesinger, 1977, p. 233) In this context their rights must be protected for they are also humans and are not deprived of sentiments and emotions. We must press to have removed from the legal code all laws, which can be used to harass and degrade prostitutes. Above all, we must vigorously oppose any move to legalize prostitution. If prostitution were legalized in Canada, it would be, like the present marriage laws, just another step in legalizing the degradation, the reification, of women. (Schlesinger, 1977, p. 233) Youth Prostitution - causes and factors Apart from the social and economic cause, there is one more cause behind the involvement of men and women in prostitution and that is 'psychological' one. Psychological interest in the prostitute and the client is based on the belief that they are (in some way) behaving abnormally, and that the causative factors of such adult disorders lie beyond the psyche in their childhood social and familial environment. As we know that poverty is the main cause behind any crime, and prostitution, which involves the inclusion of attracting factors, by focusing the comparative advantages of a prostitute's career for a particular individual. In this context she/he thinks of larger earnings, an easier, more interesting or exciting life, and impulsive factors. However, economic pressure, no chance for a desirable marriage, an unhappy love affair, or enticement by pimp or prostitute, move such psychological studies out of the immediate family environment and into the larger realm of society. (Carpenter, 2000, p. 16) A woman's move into prostitution is depicted by other factors such as sexual abuse, domestic violence or threat. According to the Canadian Report on Prostitution and Pornography (1985) "there is support for the contention that prostitutes disproportionately come from homes where there are tensions and problems, for example alcohol and drug abuse and continuous fighting". (The Canadian Report, 1985) Whatever be the reasons and causes, the main concern for adopting prostitution is the economic motive, either in the form of joblessness or in the form of paid overtime. Is the Government successful in combating prostitution, sex crime and human trafficking Despite the awful facts regarding prostitution, until recently no generally agreed upon definition of sex trade in human beings was written into global law. In Vienna, Austria, during 1999 and 2000, more than 100 countries actively participated in debates over prostitution and human trafficking. The involvement on such a large scale resulted in a few nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and a minority of governments including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, and the United Kingdom decision to split up concerns of trafficking from prostitution. They argued that person being trafficked or entered into prostitution should be divided into two categories; those who are forced to enter into prostitution and those who as per their consent enter into this profession. The main bone of contention among 120 countries was not to reveal the main causes that lead today's youth towards prostitution but the concern was to control those persons that spread human trafficking and prostitution. (Leuchtag, 2003) It is obvious that wealthier countries are not bothered about their prostitution rate as such countries are subjected to situations which involve a large numbers of young men and women being involved in sex trade or being trafficked. Canada is also among one of those countries, which legalize sex trade. However conditions application does not mean that Canada is serious about the increasing concern of prostitution. All it concerns is that prostitution should not indulge the general public. While recognizing the main cause behind prostitution is human trafficking, the UN protocol is clear about its objectives eradicating human trafficking regardless of gender or age. According to Leuchtag, "In 2000 the UN General Assembly adopted this convention and its supplementary protocol; 121 countries signed the convention and eighty countries signed the protocol for the convention and protocol to become international law, forty countries must ratify them". (Leuchtag, 2003) In general, Canadian Government discourages prostitution, which is evident from the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women) Article 6 which states that measures should be taken against women exploitation. In another Convention against preventing crime, it states in Article 2 to counterfeit women trafficking. In fact Canadian Government strongly opposes trafficking, which it thinks to be the ground for prostitution. Cyber Prostitute - A new way of attracting youth A new mode of sex trade is a growing concern for prostitution these days, which involves various 'sex tours' through Internet. By far it is the most versatile and easiest way of conducting a home based sexual business. It provides a user-friendly environment, with the added advantage of not being count under the concern of legal or illegal. Youngsters who want to sell their sexual services develop their own websites, while providing full information about their rates, age, their picture, timings and contact numbers. This has made the new generation even more motivated towards indulging in prostitution, a new way of exposure without the concern of getting noticed. Suggested Measures for combating Prostitution Canada is considered to be the main entrance and transit point for human trafficking, for this purpose prostitution is common in Canada on all levels, but now is the time for the Canadian Government to take serious measures about entering of youth into this profession. Prostitution should be decriminalized for two reasons: to minimize the power and control of criminal syndicates and to reduce social stigma of sex work. (Skrobanek et al, 1988, p. 104) Uptill now it has only opposed trafficking, not prostitution. Now is the time to take measures against prostitution so that younger generation may learn a lesson of not entering in it and this is only possible through a number of suggested measures: 1. The Government must research and analyze the causes leading to prostitution at the grass root level and this is possible through conducting surveys, interviews and questionnaires. It should be aware of what the newer generation might think of the profession, thereby stricting its policies towards equality of women as well as men culprits. 2. Government must analyze social as well as economic causes for prostitution, how it should be counterfeited It should criminalize all those who are involved into the profession and gaining profits. 3. Students and other intellectuals should be encouraged to continue their education and if for some economic condition they are unable to do so, Government should be at their backend to support them. 4. Government and NGOs should commence certain programs in order to eradicate prostitution or at least create awareness in youngsters. This is possible only in two conditions: when they are given equal opportunity to continue their education or when they are promised to be given equal incentives while and after higher education. 5. It should provide incentives and scholarships to students in order to encourage them for getting more literate. 6. Those families who are subjected to poverty, measures should be taken to improve their economic condition in order to reduce crime rate. 7. Women organizations and funds should be opened in order to protect them. For any cause if a woman is subjected to leave home, she must be provided protection and shelter by women's organization and NGOs. 8. Awareness programs should be conducted in order to spread prostitution 'side effects' on women's health. 9. Victims subjected to prostitution (forced prostitution) should be provided with full support so that instead of involving into this profession they acquire the chance for reconstructing their broken lives. 10. Those who support and protect prostitution 'victims' should be given incentives, compensations and benefits. Conclusion In countries where prostitution is legal, steps are taken to reduce trafficking and where prostitution is illegal, trafficking is concerned as the major cause for indulging into prostitution. Developing a few policies according to legislation is not the solution to the problem to which Canada is confronting to since 1980s, it should face to the social realms and causes with a determination uncompromising with the younger generation indulging into prostitution. Canada requires a complete framework in order to cope up with the arising needs of identifying factors, which leads youth to nowhere but to the threshold of 'prostitution'. There is a need to identify our changed social values, reshape our morals, as might be the values play an important role in pushing our children to this future peril. References & Bibliography Bittle Steven, April 2002 Accessed from Bittle Steven, (2002) When Protection Is Punishment: Neo-Liberalism and Secure Care Approaches to Youth Prostitution In Canadian Journal of Criminology. Volume: 44. Issue: 3. Carrington J. Peter, (2002) Group Crime in Canada In Canadian Journal of Criminology. Volume: 44. Issue: 3. Carpenter J. Belinda, (2000) Re-Thinking Prostitution: Feminism, Sex, and the Self: Peter Lang: New York. CWHN, June 2006 Accessed from Davis J. Nanette, (1993) Prostitution: An International Handbook on Trends, Problems, and Policies: Greenwood Press: Westport, CT. Duchesne Doreen, "Street Prostitution in Canada" In Statistics Canada: 85-002-XPE Vol.17:2 Accessed from Legal, 2006 Accessed from Leuchtag Alice, (January-February 2003) Human Rights Sex Trafficking and Prostitution In The Humanist. Volume: 63. Issue: 1: p.10+. Lowman, J. 2001 Identifying Research Gaps in the Prostitution Literature. Unpublished Research Note. Ottawa: Department of Justice Canada, Research and Statistics Division. Portland Police Officer Doug Kosloske, The Province, 19 December 1997 In Factbook on Global sexual exploitation, Canada accessed from < http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/canada.htm> Reform, 2006 Accessed from < http://www.bdsmvoyeur.com/Law/law.htm> Schlesinger Benjamin, (1977) Sexual Behaviour in Canada: Patterns and Problems: University of Toronto Press: Toronto. Skrobanek Siriporn, Boonpakdi Nattaya & Janthakeero Chutima, (1988) The Traffic In Women: Human Realities of the International Sex Trade. Zed Books Ltd: London, New York The Canadian Report, 1985 In "Carpenter J. Belinda, (2000) Re-Thinking Prostitution: Feminism, Sex, and the Self: Peter Lang: New York". Read More