Joint Statement by Sex Worker Groups on Recent Police Harrassment

Condemnation grows as more sex workers’ groups speak out against police harassment, urge Parliament to go a different route

January 29, 2014 at 11:01am

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29, 2014. Toronto– Big Susie’s, Sex Professionals of Canada, Sex Workers Action Group Kingston, Stepping Stone, Maggie’s: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Group and Stella join fellow sex workers’ organizations in condemning recent police activities that use deception and intimidation to investigate trafficking and exploitation, driving the sex trade further underground and away from safety. 330 sex workers were targeted across the country.

In cities across Canada, male officers are posing as clients to book appointments with indoor sex workers. Several officers then show up at the worker’s door, demanding entry in order to check for signs of trafficking or coercion. Once inside, officers bombard the worker (usually a woman) with personal questions, demand to see ID and search the worker’s premises and possessions.

Tragically, such duplicitous and intimidating policing tactics hinder the important goal of surfacing actual cases of exploitation and coercion. “Part of our work as a sex workers’ rights and advocacy organization is to support anybody who might find themselves in a coercive situation,” shares Phoenix from Maggie’s. “I can tell you that these sorts of deceitful and menacing approaches further degrade trust between sex workers and the police, and stop people in exploitative situations from seeking and accepting police assistance.“

This policing strategy seems to contradict the recent Supreme Court decision that insisted that the law cannot be used to further endanger the security and safety of sex workers. As Valerie Scott from Sex Professionals of Canada points out, “Police intimidation pushes us further into the shadows, and sets up the same kind of circumstances that the Supreme Court just ruled are unacceptable.” Sex workers express feeling intimidated by the current police tactic and coerced into allowing police into their homes and worksites. Privacy and dignity are compromised. “I understand the importance of identifying and stopping abuse,” says Emma, a sex worker in the GTA. “But scaring and intimidating women isn’t the way to do it. I mean, several uniformed cops at my door asking to be let in? While I’m standing there in my lingerie and heels? I would likely let them in just so my neighbours and landlord won’t know what’s going on. The last thing I need is to lose my home. Not to mention it scaring off clients and me losing money. It’s not like this is some minor inconvenience.”

We urge politicians and law enforcement to recognize the unintended yet serious harm caused by poorly designed laws and tactics intended to fight exploitation. “As Parliament tackles prostitution law reform over the next few months, they should be cautious not to develop laws that, in the name of helping women, actually compromise their safety and well-being,” comments Amy Lebovitch, a sex worker and activist with Sex Professionals of Canada. “Otherwise, we will have more of the sort of deception and intimidation we are seeing with this recent policing tactic – and worse.“

Laws that could cause such damage include those that do not criminalize sex workers directly but aggressively target their managers and clients. As Kara Gillies, a sex worker and advocate, says, “The problem is that there is no way to go after our clients and managers without hurting our income and security. And those approaches harm not only us but also the majority of clients and managers who are benevolent, not exploitative.”