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I know this is not anything new but violence against sex workers does not get the same treatment or coverage as it would if the person or persons involved were not sex workers. On the front page of Thursday's edition of the CH was a story about the "dramatic" rescue of a deer that someone was keeping as a pet which apparently is against the law. Who knew? http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1202232.html Meanwhile buried on page 9 is this story http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1202211.html Here is a story about a man who is being charged for the second time in six months with the kidnapping,sexual assault and torture of a sex worker he is also the main suspect in the disappearance of a third sex worker who has not been seen or heard from for over two months. So a story about a pet deer gets front page coverage while a story about a serial kidnapper/rapist/and probable murderer gets a page 9 rating. I can't help but wonder if these three women were 'respected citizens" would this still be a page 9 story?

I came across an issue that is very painful to every person who has suffered it in their own skin....violence.... In general one hears the stories about violence committed against women, perhaps because we ladies have endured it for many years and in some societies, as we all know, the abusive behavior, the castration of women is an everyday issue. Nevertheless I want to open a thread about violence against men. I had the pleasure of meeting some gentlemen who are dominated by their partners and can not even hold their own bank account. In my life experience I also came accross females that are belittling their partners in front of strangers in a way I could not imagine why the boys can tolerate it.... There are cases and cases....does anyone want to cooperate in this "opening up" of violence against our men? I love to read what everybody has to say about this painful situation. May be some gentlemen wont like to be identified, as well as us who suffered it, try to keep it in the shadow and wear the "mask" of "not-me".... let's open this forum to the reality of life, Violence exists and damages all of us in one way or another...... LoraLee

Thanks to Lindsay Jackel in Australia Sun, 10 Jan 1999 Below is a review of the UK Channel 4 the documentary program, Dispatches, on FEMALE on MALE DV, screened on Thursday 7 January 1999: Source http://www.channel4.com/njs/search_indexnj.html to search on the words "domestic violence" to find the following announcement: Thursday 7 January 1999 UK TV Channel 4, 21:00 DISPATCHES A six foot security guard is knocked unconscious... stabbed and beaten - by his girlfriend - who is under five foot. A weeping police officer describes how his wife tried to suffocate him with a pillow while he was sleeping. In a specially extended Dispatches reporter DEBORAH DAVIES reveals the extraordinary results of the largest ever survey of male victims of domestic violence. Dispatches talks to men about why they have suffered yet stayed and have no faith in the police, and to women who explain why they are violent to the partners they love. The First Step Centre run a helpline for people experiencing domestic violence offering advice, information and counselling. Lines are open 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 11am to 4.30pm on Saturday and 2pm to 5pm on Sunday. Freephone 0800 281 281. Repeated at 1pm on Thursday 12 January 1999. Liverpool has a crisis line that will help both men and women involved in violent conflict. Call 0151-548-3333 —WHS

Yes and now the dichotomy between forced vs voluntary prostitution, in cases of trafficking, is being used to imply innocence vs guilty. In many cases, women who are trafficked know they are going to be prostitutes, but they did not expect to be debt-bonded slaves etc. The onus becomes proving the so-called "innocence" of the victim, ie whether or not she knew she was going to be a prostitute, rather than fighting all instances of human rights violations, regardless of "innocence." I just wrote a paper last year about this.

Sorry Berlin as a feminist, in my opinion, your views are jaded and do not reflect the reality of the situation. In actual fact I can take you through reports dated from 2008, that are Canadian based, that show that the majority of abuse is NOT retaliatory. It is a power perception. # 1 is violence against children under the age of 12, # 2 is violence against women, # 3 is violence against children aged 13-18, #4 is violence against men. Overriding all of the above, of the people who were victimized, over 80% were abused because they did not have the mental capacity (including demensia - which my Dad had) to retaliate. In my volunteer work with houses to provide safety and support for those who are abused, over the last 20 years in Ottawa, Toronto and Windsor, the recorded ability to retaliate is almost nil. In Canada, less than 10 cases were reported and prosecuted over the last five years. Again, bottom line, don't get all sexist on this issue. Abuse of any individual, physical, mental, financial is WRONG, is against the law and needs to be stomped on hard.

Apparently men are more likely not to report to police due to shame! I saw a woman beating the hell of a guy in front of a strip joint once.

My SO catching me on CERB. That really frightens me!! Posted via Mobile Device

In my presentations to the Police Chiefs on the subject of abuse, about twenty minutes is used to discuss the abuse of males in a relationship. Holds special meaning for me as my mother abused my dad physically and mentally to the point of refusing medical care and he died. Hell of a way to go, survived Juno Beach, Arnhiem and died at the hands of his wife. bottom line, all abuse is disgusting!

Why does no one see the complete ridiculousness of the Swedish model? If prostitution is violence towards the sex worker him/herself, then why is it still okay to sell sex? And since when does it make any sense to criminalize the buyer? The Swedish model went into place without any consultation with sex workers, and in the official Swedish language, they do not make any distinction between forced and voluntary, all prostitution is understood as violence against women. They claim to be the most gender neutral, feminist country, but they did not even consider speaking to the sex workers themselves. The Swedish model is yet another example of policy and law makers deciding what is best for us, and treating us like children. In the first year, police used video cameras to collect evidence and harass clients, which meant they had to film both the exchange of money and the sex itself and many workers felt that even though they weren't doing anything illegal, this was being used to violate their integrity. The street clients become more stressed and want to complete the negotiation process as quickly as possible to avoid getting caught and it becomes difficult to assess if the person is a good client if she is supposed to just jump into the car without any negotiation. Many of the "good" clients have turned to indoor workers to avoid getting caught, leaving the street workers to deal with the clients who don't care about getting caught, usually because they already have a criminal record. Prior to the law criminalizing clients, they could refuse these clients, but now they cannot afford to. It comes as no surprise then that they are exposed to more violence now. The decrease in the number of clients for street workers has made them more desperate and more likely to accept unsafe sex practices. And since the police look for condoms as evidence of sex, this is a strong incentive not to carry condoms. So basically, the Swedish model sucks and only forces prostitution further underground. Give your head a shake lady (Joy Smith), you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.

I think i can manage, Amanda, i think i can manage ... It's all about touch, running lightly the fingertips all over, finding these spots that will send shivers all over .... Breasts are nice; they all have their attraction, forms, shapes and sensitivity, but it's not the only erogenous zone. The whole body should be cared for: the back, neck, behind the ears, the back of the legs etc.... Light touch, a breath, a feather. It's a buildup leading to where, i wonder? To waters unknown, to the undiscovered dream ... But i divert.... I was just inspired by, dare i say, by a stunning lady...

MRGREEN Thank you for letting me know that at least you have some awareness of some principles in the arts of erotics, why are the great lovers in this world so rare? I think although sex it is one of the most searched after activities most people do not bother to read about sexuality neither care to find out the likes and dislikes of their sexual partners. I will never understand how come some people study to become lawyers engineers and politicians, but most people will not bother reading about sexual intelligence, it is so sad and as a result most people are zero lovers. I think good sex requires some knowledge and fitness and finess and self awareness and generosity, if one is self centred sex cannot be any good right? But generous guys are the best lovers. Not generous in a financial sense but in a emotional attentive and sexual sense.