Laws & policies

Anti-trafficking Laws

Anti-trafficking Laws

In 2005, the Canadian government enacted criminal laws against human trafficking. To this day, despite amendments, these anti-trafficking laws lack a substantive basis in empirical evidence and often have the effect of harming those in marginalized positions—such as...

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Legislative Frameworks for Sex Work

Legislative Frameworks for Sex Work

Canada’s current legislative framework for sex work is an end-demand model called “partial decriminalization”, or the Nordic Model. Partial decriminalization purports to end the demand for sex work by criminalizing the buyer of sexual services while leaving the seller...

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Bedford v. Canada

Bedford v. Canada

Bedford v. Canada was a case challenging the constitutionality of Canada’s prostitution laws. The initial challenge began in 2007 and the final judgment from the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) came down in 2013. Applicants: Terri Jean Bedford, Amy Lebovitch, and...

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