Susie

sooooo fucked!!!!and in contradiction with all harm reduction principles!

you would think in ottawa at least they would take the most current ethical standards for harm reduction!the tri council policy statement is clear.....CONFIDENIALITY!!!!!especially for workers dang it!!!!

rrrrrr.......

susie in vancouver

www.wccsip.ca

this mostly about research but we are advocating for the spirit of these policies and principles to be applied to all systems who work with/ come into contact with sex industry workers ie-criminal justice, support services, municiple licensing, provincila inspectors, border services, government- all levels all departments- i know sounds big and it is....system wide reform....if not now...when....if not us....who.....

Ethical Concerns

There are many sources to gather information on research ethics. A national set of guidelines that all Canadian universities must abide by is the

Tri Council Policy Statement

http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/english/index.cfm .

Most research disciplines also have their own codes of ethics. Most share these basic principles:

• Ethical research should be conducted in a way that ensures all parties arefree from harm and researchers are concerned with the safety of research participants that may experience heightened risks;
  

• Participants have the right to provide their free and informed consent at theonset of the relationship and researchers have an obligation to obtain this consent;
  

• Researchers must take steps to ensure that the privacy and confidentiality of participants is respected;
  

• Parties entering into research partnerships can anticipate and build in supports for participants. (For example, if a researcher is inquiring about life histories that can be traumatic for some, the community organization and researcher can ensure that there exist post interview debriefing supports for participants).
  

• Researchers need to approach their research from a place of indifference in regards to the outcome and not engage in research that constitutes a clear conflict of interest.
  

Additional research principles speak to the researchers’:

• Respect for participant autonomy and decision making;
  

• Obligation to increase the benefits to research participants and working to reduce harms associated with participation;
  

• Commitment to justice, which required fair participant selection and equal distribution of the benefits and burdens of research across participant samples.
  

Honorarium

Giving sex industry workers an honorarium when engaging us ensures limited harm from the encounter. Difficult discussions about the oppression we’ve endured can often trigger an emotional reaction. Paying an honoraria ensures a participant does not have to engage in high risk activities to try to find money for their medication/ alternative to self harm of choice.

Also, we are a hand to mouth culture and rarely have time to be away from work. Paying us a livable wage ($20/hr) respects our knowledge, experience, and time.

Confidentiality

Because of our criminalization confidentiality is absolutely paramount. Working with the systems that many in our community view as the enemy can cause a person to be outcast or worse. They could be viewed as a rat or collaborator and treated as such. Ensuring confidentiality of participants will prevent the loss of any social capitol or violence against them.

thanks for your comments!

i think you are right i will edit approproiately.

love susieXXXO

any game where "hooker" is the main position to play, i love!!!and it's fun to see the men at war!!!!mmmmm.....sweaty!

for some reason there are not usually many women there....which makes it even better!!

love susie

ya, footballers are bigger.....a rugby team would probably be the biggest, nastiest,dirtiest.....excuse me for a moment!LOLjust gatta rub one off!

wish you were here joe!!may have to take you up on it one day!!!

by the way, i hear you have a great rugby club in ottawa.....

I'm a little confused. Was this an article you found that you liked (I did) or one you posted there and then shared with us too?

 

I too was struck by the negative comments. As if it's any of their business how you choose to conduct your relationships.

it was an article i found and liked but posted in the wrong section, sorry!

i have seriously considered paying to have a fantasy fulfilled, when i was married my husband was away alot...and was kinda selfish sexually...lol

i also want to hire a hockey team....jus for an hr....

love susieXXXO

http://womansday.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=830159

I pay my lover a wage

Thursday, June 25, 2009

I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but I'm equally sure that it's the type of thing which would cause raised eyebrows and a lot of disapproval, which is why I haven't told anyone. However, it's an arrangement which has worked very well for me for the last three years and I hope it continues. My ex husband and I get on pretty well, but I don't want all the complications involved in getting into a relationship - I want to be able to concentrate on my children, my job and my life without introducing a man who might well walk out at some point, thus upsetting the children.

Although I know I could go out a couple of times a month and find someone for sex I don't have the time or energy for a series of one night stands - I want to be wined and dined and know exactly what's going to happen, without any worries about the next day.

My husband and I had a great sex life and I really missed that, so I decided to do some research. The internet was the obvious place and I found a huge range of websites and adverts offering a wide range of services. Some of them were simply hilarious, but in the end I found Justin.

Our first encounter was nerve wracking and my main worry was that I might not find him attractive, although I definitely went out there with sex on my mind. In the flesh something has to click and although I knew that he was extremely good looking and very fit I also knew I had to fancy him. I booked into a hotel and spent ages getting ready, then Justin came to collect me and we went out to dinner. Thank God, despite my nerves there was an instant spark and we had a great time, especially since we both knew that the whole evening was definitely building up to sex. When we got back to the room there was no problem tearing each other's clothes off and the sex was fantastic.

I knew I'd made the right decision and we meet once or twice a month, with the occasional weekend away or short holiday, which I always pay for. He makes me feel that I'm the centre of attention, he's very protective and caring, we have a laugh and a chat and the sex gets better and better. He always makes it special with candles, massage oils and sex toys - now how many men would still be doing that after three years in an ordinary relationship?

Sorry if this goes against the stereotype, but I want fabulous sex with a lovely man without any ties. We might well be at the stage where women are seen to enjoy sex as much as men, but not at the stage of admitting that some of us are happy to pay for it. There's currency of some kind in every relationship and I know that although we get on well and have a great time together, at the bottom of it all is hard cash.

I'm quite vain and having a man in my life who sees me naked regularly certainly makes me focus on looking after myself, so I'm very slim and fit and feel confident sexually. What's really interesting is the amount of other men who ask me out - it does make me realise that when you've one man around you seem to get the pick of the rest as well.

You wouldn't question this relationship unless you knew I paid for it - we're both adults, seeing each other regularly and enjoying ourselves. Why does money suddenly change it?

We have cover stories organised in case we bump into anyone we know but that's never happened. Women should be able to have the sort of sex life and companionship they want, on their terms, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. I love my children, work hard - to pay for their treats and mine - see my friends and family and enjoy my hobbies like anyone else. This way, I'm very satisfied sexually which makes me a much calmer and happier person and I do like the secrecy element of this arrangement.

I keep both lives totally separate and Justin doesn't know where I live, what I do or even my real surname - though I'm the same with him and we contact each other by mobile phone. Nothing's forever and I hope it will be some considerable time before Justin hangs up his thong, but I'm sure there's a replacement out there should it ever happen.

I know now how well this can work and it's perfect for me. Maybe I will change but I think it's unlikely. Every so often I can indulge myself and then walk away completely satisfied, ready to get on with the rest of my life. Being able to have such a lovely time and be treated so well, without any worries or upset - frankly, that's priceless. As it is he costs $400 for an hour, $540 for three hours and $1200 for overnight, and every penny is well spent.

good question....i will look into it....it was a CTV doc so maybe if we request it....

Then, of course, throw in a feminazi from where else, socially polarized Vancouver, a woman who knows far better than they do how other women should be leading their lives, (the kind of person who would really like to be able to make other women live they way she wants them to, because she knows best) to provide "another viewpoint".

yay!!!i love the word feminazi!!!!

cool!!!!

have you seen the coop website?

here's a link to the brothel project.....

http://www.wccsip.ca/safeWork.html

love susieXXXO:oops:

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

.........., cops fight web trade in child sex

Joining forces to stop online exploitation

By: Carol Sanders

10/07/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 4

Print E?mail Share ThisTHE Winnipeg Police Service has agreed to work with an online classified advertising service to try and stop the sale of children for sex.

The police and .......... are teaming up thanks to a forum on the sexual exploitation of aboriginal women and children hosted by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

".......... is the new kiddie-stroll for men who are seeking to pay for sex with children," said Prof. Benjamin Perrin from the University of British Columbia, a keynote speaker at the forum. "It's free and anonymous and well-known."

"In Winnipeg, there were more than 300 ads (for children and women) in the last week alone," he said at the forum that ended Thursday in Winnipeg.

"I invited the Winnipeg police vice (unit) to join in the .......... consultation," Perrin said. "Their input would be appreciated."

On Thursday, Winnipeg police Patrol Sgt. Gene Bowers said the police are aware of the problem and willing to work with Perrin and ........... But the classified service isn't the only problem.

"There's more than .......... that have these ads," Bowers said. "But it is one of the most used." Social-networking sites and other online and phone services are also being used to exploit kids, and police are investigating them, he said.

Perrin, a law professor, has studied the problem across Canada and the U.S.

In the U.S., .......... brought in preventive measures to identify missing children and stricter filters to verify users' identification.

"They brought the measure in the U.S., but not Canada because there was no interest in working with ........... The attorney general of each (U.S.) state signed on," said Perrin, who was involved in the process.

"Now what we see in Canada is a growing number on .......... using it to advertise minors and... what we're told is the numbers in most Canadian cities are spiking."

Police, meanwhile, still have to deal with kids being sold for sex on the street. "It's all a priority," said Bowers outside the AMC forum. "You don't give up."

Manitoba has 75 missing or murdered aboriginal women and children, according to the Native Women's Association of Canada. Some have been sexually exploited and linked to the sex trade.

After the death of Cherisse Houle, 17, whose body was found last week outside Winnipeg, Manitoba shouldn't need another wake-up call, Perrin said.

"The buck needs to stop at the premier's office. It needs to launch a task force on the missing and murdered aboriginal girls and women in this province who are disproportionately targeted."

Perrin said lack of shelter for aboriginal girls is one of the problems.

One Winnipeg agency has six beds and has turned away more than 100 girls since it opened. For a province that has a strategy to deal with the sexual exploitation of youth, there are some gaping holes in the system, Perrin said.

"A few people are responsible -- first of all the men who are paying for this."

Bowers said John School -- for those arrested for solicitation -- can make a difference. The victims of exploitation are usually kids with a lot of problems, including addictions and poverty. The johns exploiting them sometimes don't understand that they are the problem.

"They think they are helping them," Bowers said.

revised terms of reference, any more comments or edits?

thanks everyone!

here are revisions so far.....

Sex Industry Stakeholder- A person who has experience either working within, running a business in or purchasing services/products of the sex industry.

These Terms of Reference were created to ensure localized organizing in various constituencies across Canada have a common set of goals and processes.

Vision/ Goals:

• To come together as an industry for the purpose of increased safety and stability for all stakeholders in the sex industry inclusive of workers, support workers, business owners and consumers.

• To empower and unify sex industry communities inclusive of all genres and genders to increase the security and stability of the sex industry.

• Build community relationships, forge partnerships, identify and engage allies and external expertise in pursuit of CAEC goals.

• Create a community where all sex industry stakeholders are respected and honoured for their experiences.

• To improve the occupational health, safety and capacities of sex industry professionals as employees and contractors within a legitimized profession

• To ensure consumers have access to resources, are safe engaging in sex industry consumption, can maintain discretion, are treated fairly and have clear and choices for ethical purchasing.

• To protect ethical business owners from arbitrary attacks upon their honour, reputation and livelihood by law enforcement, former employees and the system at large,

• Design a complaints process in partnership with all stakeholders to provide a system of self governance and enforcement for the sex industry.

• Support the formation of craft unions, business improvement associations, consumer groups or trade guilds for all aspects, businesses, consumers or workers within the sex industry.

Guiding principles

• Work towards safety and respect of all sex industry stakeholders regardless of their location within the industry;

• Ensure the inclusion of diverse communities, perspectives, capacities and expertise from the sex industry;

• Promote progressive thought, forward thinking and continual positive

change for the empowerment and education of sex industry stakeholders and the community at large;

• Keep harm reduction frameworks at the forefront and work toward social justice and social change to increase quality of life for sex industry stakeholders.

Membership/composition:

• Members must be active or former sex industry stakeholders , inclusive of but not limited to; street level, bath houses, massage parlours, ads/ internet, dancers, adult film, off street, phone sex, web cam etc customers, support staff and business owners

• Organizations who provide services for, are run by or have a vested interest in the sex industry may become members.
  
• Must be 19 years and over;
  
• vouched for by another stakeholder ;
   
  Confidentiality
  

• Events that happen at meetings stay at meetings;
  
• Project membership and personal identities of members and their
  
• contact information must remain confidential;
  
• Intellectual property and details about projects, strategies and plans are not to be shared with outside entities or individuals except when in the form of a communication strategy that has been designed and approved by the members of CAEC;
  
• Confidentiality extends even after leaving CAEC and must respect the
  
• sex industry stakeholders rights of movement and the anonymity of those involved;
  
• Breach of confidentiality will lead to the immediate revocation of
  
• membership from CAEC.
  
• All existing and new members must sign a confidentiality agreement and sign on to the most current Terms of Reference.
  

Decision-Making

Decisions will be made through a consensus model. All members in good

standing are voting members and will enter any of the following 3 responses to issues that are being considered:

1. Agree,

2. Disagree

4. Abstain

Meeting Structure-Minutes

• Agenda and previous meeting minutes circulated via email prior to

meetings.

• Action column and recommendations will be read at the following meeting.

• A rotating chair will facilitate meetings or an external facilitator may be hired.

• The CAEC recognizes that the meeting procedures and minutes may be available to the public but will refrain from identifying members.

Code of Conduct for meetings

• Never speak in anger; Try to limit disputes;

• Attend meetings ready to work and ready to contribute: alert and present in mind and body. Those on medication or using harm reduction

strategies must employ drug management strategies;

• Honour everyone’s opinion and be inclusive of a range of opinions;

• Be mindful and accepting of diversity and varying capacities: honouring individual members opinions, choices, experiences and knowledge;

• Respect meeting space- from set up to clean up;

• Zero Tolerance to Violence: verbal abuse, physical abuse and threats will lead to revocation of membership in CAEC.

• No personal politics, leave outside issues outside and leave the street on the street

Sex Industry Stakeholder- A person who has lived experience either working within, running a business in or purchasing services/products of the sex industry.

These Terms of Reference were created to ensure localized organizing in various constituencies across Canada have a common set of goals and processes.

Vision/ Goals:

? To come together as an industry for the purpose of increased safety and stability for all stakeholders in the sex industry inclusive of workers, support workers, business owners and consumers.

? To empower and unify sex industry communities inclusive of all genres and genders to increase the security and stability of the sex industry.

? Build community relationships, forge partnerships, identify and engage allies and external expertise in pursuit of CAEC goals.

? Create a community where all sex industry stakeholders are respected and honoured for their experiences.

? To improve the occupational health, safety and capacities of sex industry professionals as employees and contractors within a legitimized profession

? To ensure consumers have access to resources, are safe engaging in sex industry consumption, can maintain discretion, are treated fairly and have clear and choices for ethical purchasing.

? To protect ethical business owners from arbitrary attacks upon their honour, reputation and livelihood by law enforcement, former employees and the system at large,

? Design a complaints process and penalty system in partnership with all stakeholders to provide a system of self governance and enforcement for the sex industry.

? Support the formation of craft unions, business improvement associations, consumer groups or trade guilds for all aspects, businesses, consumers or workers within the sex industry.

Guiding principles

? Work towards safety and respect of all sex industry stakeholders regardless of their location within the industry;

? Ensure the inclusion of diverse communities, perspectives, capacities and expertise from the sex industry;

? Promote progressive thought, forward thinking and continual positive

change for the empowerment and education of sex industry stakeholders and the community at large;

? Keep harm reduction frameworks at the forefront and work toward social justice and social change to increase quality of life for sex industry stakeholders.

Membership/composition:

? Members must be active or former sex industry stakeholders , inclusive of but not limited to; street level, bath houses, massage parlours, ads/ internet, dancers, adult film, off street, phone sex, web cam etc customers, support staff and business owners.;

? Must be 19 years and over;

? vouched for by another stakeholder ;

Confidentiality

• Events that happen at meetings stay at meetings;
  
• Project membership and personal identities of members and their
  
• contact information must remain confidential;
  
• Intellectual property and details about projects, strategies and plans are not to be shared with outside entities or individuals except when in the form of a communication strategy that has been designed and approved by the members of CAEC;
  
• Confidentiality extends even after leaving CAEC and must respect the
  
• sex industry stakeholders rights of movement and the anonymity of those involved;
  
• Breach of confidentiality will lead to the immediate revocation of
  
• membership from CAEC.
  
• All existing and new members must sign a confidentiality agreement and sign on to the most current Terms of Reference.
  

Decision-Making

Decisions will be made through a consensus model. All members in good

standing are voting members and will enter any of the following 5 responses to issues that are being considered:

1. Agree,

2. Disagree,

3. Disagree and can?t live with the decision and will resign my

membership (Last resort)

4. Abstain

Meeting Structure-Minutes

? Agenda and previous meeting minutes circulated via email prior to

meetings.

? Action column and recommendations will be read at the following meeting.

? A rotating chair will facilitate meetings or an external facilitator may be hired.

? The CAEC recognizes that the meeting procedures and minutes may be available to the public but will refrain from identifying members.

Code of Conduct for meetings

? Never speak in anger; Try to limit disputes;

? Attend meetings ready to work and ready to contribute: alert and present in mind and body. Those on medication or using harm reduction

strategies must employ drug management strategies;

? Honour everyone?s opinion and be inclusive of a range of opinions;

? Be mindful and accepting of diversity and varying capacities: honouring individual members opinions, choices, experiences and knowledge;

? Respect meeting space- from set up to clean up;

? Zero Tolerance to Violence: verbal abuse, physical abuse and threats will lead to revocation of membership in CAEC.

? No personal politics, leave outside issues outside and leave the street on the street

right on!!!

there have been raids in halifax and in winnipeg and we are expecting raids before the Olympics out here so we are hoping to get some kind of unified way to support one another.

also, when the laws fall,and they will fall we need to be ready with a plan for self governance or the state will impose whatever it sees fit.

we have to try!!!LOL

susieXXXO

yesie!!!!LOLXXXO:oops:

"Develop and implement a certification process in partnership with all stakeholders to stabilize and promote sex industry businesses (inclusive of independent workers as businesses). Design an industry association seal or brand to distinguish those businesses that support and have received certification for the negotiated health and safety standards and training."

Relevance

"Design a complaints process and penalty system in partnership with all stakeholders to provide a system of self governance and enforcement for the sex industry."

Relevance

"Support the formation of craft unions or trade guilds for all aspects or jobs within the sex industry."

"Establish a system of communications between the sex industry and those agencies who have traditionally had the role of policing or monitoring the industry such as the police, license inspectors and social work/ support agencies to prevent misunderstandings about safety issues within the industry."

i can tell you what the BCCEC and west coast coop think of POWER....

they rock!!!!!

we hope groups like POWER,STELLA,BCCEC,WCCSIP,CNCEW,MAGGIES will all join together and run locals.

each local is really already there as these great orgs. it's a matter of us all collaborating on some labor issues and supporting each other from across the country. during the labor on the margins project we realized that we must stabilize the industry in order to stabilize the workers.

we are currently almost done creating standardized occuptional health and safety training for sex industry workers in line with the recommendations below.

The following actions and recommendations emerged as common themes from dialogue with all stake holders including consumers, business owners and workers.

"Establish a consortium of sex industry stakeholders to develop an Industry Association and negotiate where there are areas of commonality. ie. violence, consumer theft, health and safety, and industry stability."

Relevance

"Develop Standardized Health and Safety Training for Sex Industry Workers and consumers in partnership with ALL stakeholders including business owners."

Relevance

all over our country LE seem to be stepping up attacks on our community. we are hoping to use these terms as a way to allow local organizing to begin for our national industry association.we would like your input in defining these terms.

just to clarify, all stakeholders will be allowed to vote one of 5 ways as described., so hopefully no one person is in control.

we must show benefits of membership. in the labour on the margins report

http://www.wccsip.ca/doc/laborOnTheMargins.pdf

we outline potential benfits as well as there is no cost for membership yet so no risk to potentially signing on.

my political presence and willingness to go to bat for people i hope will be a motivating factor to become members. i am 15 committees....government, health and enforcement related. i don't mind making a stink and calling them on their shit.LOL

also, we all have amazing talents and strength!together we can take control of our industry!

please feel free to ask me anything!

love susie

Vision/ Goals:

To come together as an industry for the purpose of increased safety and stability for all stakeholders in the sex industry inclusive of workers, support workers, business owners and consumers.

To empower and unify sex industry communities inclusive of all genres and genders to increase the economic security of adult sex industry workers.

To provide sex industry specific training/ education/empowerment/ capacity building, ownership of skills and leadership to ensure all stakeholders have a voice in developing policies within

the sex industry.

Nurture community relationships, forge partnerships, identify and engage allies and external expertise in pursuit of CAEC goals.

Create a community where all are respected and honoured for their

experiences.

To create labour standards to improve the occupational health, safety and capacities of sex industry professionals as employees and contractors

within a legitimized profession, to ensure fair treatment of consumers and to protect longstanding ethical business owners.



Guiding principles

Work for the safety and respect of all sex industry stakeholders regardless of their location within the industry;

Ensure the inclusion of diverse communities, perspectives, capacities and expertise from the sex industry;

Promote progressive thought, forward thinking and continual positive

change for the empowerment and education of sex industry stakeholders and the community at large;

Keep harm reduction frameworks at the forefront and work toward social justice and social change to increase quality of life in addition to human and labour rights for sex industry stakeholders.

Pool resources and work together as a community.

Membership/composition:

Members must be active or former sex industry stakeholder , inclusive of: street level, bath houses, massage parlours, ads/ internet, dancers, adult film, off street, phone sex, web cam etc customers, support workers and business owners.;

Must be 19 years and over;

Must provide proof experience in the sex industry through on of

the following sources:

Criminal charges, 213, 211 or 210; tickets-no go zones, etc.

Photos, websites, ad payments, vouched for by another stakeholder ;

Employment history and verify work history;

Contracts for adult film, website, phone, escort/ massage

licenses etc;

Code of Conduct

Never speak in anger;

Build positive relationships;

Think of others and limit disputes;

Attend meetings ready to work and ready to contribute: alert and present in mind and body. Those on medication or using harm reduction

strategies must employ drug management strategies;

No cross talking and ensure that all have an equal opportunity to speak

and contribute;

Honour everyone’s opinion and be inclusive of a range of opinions;

No hijacking of agenda;

Be mindful and accepting of diversity and varying capacities: honouring

individual members opinions, choices, experiences and knowledge;

Respect meeting space- from set up to clean up;

Zero Tolerance to Violence: verbal abuse, physical abuse and threats will lead to revocation of membership in CAEC.

No personal politics, leave outside issues outside and leave the street on the street

Confidentiality

Events that happen at meetings stay at meetings;

Project membership and personal identities of members and their

contact information must remain confidential;

Intellectual property and details about projects, strategies and plans are not to be shared with outside entities or individuals except when in the form of a communication strategy that has been designed and approved by the members of CAEC;

Confidentiality extends even after leaving CAEC and must respect the

sex industry stakeholders rights of movement and the anonymity of those involved;

Breach of confidentiality will lead to the immediate revocation of

membership from CAEC.

All existing and new members must sign a confidentiality agreement and sign on to the most current Terms of Reference.

Decision-Making

Decisions will be made through a consensus model. All members in good

standing are voting members and will enter any of the following 5 responses to issues that are being considered:

1. Agree,

2. Disagree,

3. Disagree but can live with the decision,

4. Disagree and can’t live with the decision and will resign my

membership (Last resort)

5. Abstain

Note: if members choose option four, the issue at hand will be revisited and opened for discussion. Another vote will be posed to the membership.

Conflict Management

The complainant should attempt to reconcile differences informally unless it is considered unsafe for the individuals to undertake this first step.

The complainant shall submit a written complaint to CAEC Board of Directors regarding the allegation. Upon receipt of the complaint, a committee of three people including a CAEC member and representative from the Board of Directors will engage in a process of investigation. This investigation will include interviewing all individuals affected by the incident and will result in a report to the Board of Directors. The committee will submit a report to the Board of Directors including recommendations for how to proceed on the matter. The Board will make the final decision on the status of the Board/staff/ volunteer or member.

If the matter remains unresolved, the Board of Directors will solicit the

support of an external mediator and engage in further negotiations or

appeal.

Meeting Structure-Minutes

Agenda and previous meeting minutes circulated via email prior to

meetings.

Action column and recommendations will be read at the following meeting.

A rotating chair will facilitate meetings or an external facilitator may be

hired.

The CAEC recognizes that the

meeting procedures and minutes may be available to the public but will

refrain from identifying members.

Communications/ media

All may speak about their own lived experiences but must also respect

that our collective position may differ;

Communications will be very important within the CAEC, between programs

and with the outside world. Position statement will be collectively constructed and delivered by an authorized representative.

A communications sub committee must be struck to work on messaging

and communications.

Partnerships

Partnerships with CAEC will be determined and approved by the membership;

Partners must sign and uphold a Memorandum of Agreement which

details the partnership and expected outcomes, risks and benefits.

Groups refused standing at prostitution law trial July 3/09

KIRK MAKIN

An Ontario judge has turned down a request from two religious groups and a conservative women's group to take part in a constitutional challenge of the country's prostitution laws.

Mr. Justice Ted Matlow of the Ontario Superior Court said that the groups would be liable to turn the trial into a soapbox for spiritual views, which would be out of place in a strictly legal proceeding.

Judge Matlow said that the groups struck him as being unaware that the challenge "does not provide a political platform where interested persons are permitted to speak in order to advance their personal views, beliefs, policies and interests at large."

The ruling came as a blow to the Christian Legal Fellowship, REAL Women of Canada and Catholic Civil Rights League - which had argued that the court should hear a broad range of voices on a question with important moral dimensions.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/groups-refused-standing-at-prostitution-law-trial/article1205115/

hey FO and everyone else!!

i have been a member here for awhile but don't have alot of time so don't get over here much, i will try to get over here more...

i'm glad people enjoyed the doc.

the ivanhoe pub featured in the movie is where we signed the incorporatio documents for canada's first sex worker cooperative and where we held the first meetings for the sex industry association we are proposing.

the BC Coalition also used to meet there on a regular basis and still do when we can as well we have entertained famous sex workers org's there like stella from montreal when they visit vancouver.

it's located on the edge of vancouver's downtown east side and i have been going there for 20 years. they have a sign on the wall "FTWA" (flesh trade workers association-the men at the pub named it and they wanted fighters, butchers and tattoo workers to be able to join too-lol)and a newspaper cover of when we were incorporated as the coop that says "Sex Inc"-

things are progressing here on the west coast and we are really gaining ground in the vancouver lower mainland.

i am on 15 committees including;

- SIWSAG- Vancouver Police, sex woker support services and sex workers working together to improve the safety of the sex industry community and decrease the harms caused by and during enforcement

- Living In Community- City of vancouver, business improvement associations, health, support services, neighbourhood houses, provincial government,sex industry workers all working together to balance perspectives on the sex industry.

Trade secrets advisory- designing occupational health and safety training for the sex industry as te foundation of our industry association as recommended in the "labour on the margins" report.

International sex work conference planning committee- some of you may remember stella's XXX forum, i was there and cried everyday.

we are planning a conference for vancouver next may and will be inviting 100 sex industry community memebers from across canada to attend- we will be finding funding, paying honoraria, hotels, flights etc.

we hope to be able to come together as a national body, agree on some basic terms of reference, aquire the committment of all of you to change and self governance and work on human rights together so people could return to their respective constituencies and begin to organize on a local level but we would all be sharing a common thread/objective/rules/ standards that would allow us to be the national industry association but with real localized perspectives from all stakholders included at the "table"

our plans include business owners and consumers, inclusion is the key.

2010 impacts committee

VPD policy procedure mannual revision committee

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Conference

Community Policing Partnership Car.....

if you go the wccsip dot ca web site you will find the "labour on the margins report" as well as under the news section a more detailed description of our recent activities.

please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns, we welcome any and all input. also, if you would like information about how to begin to work with the systems in charge of protection we would love to share whatever we can to improve conditions for the sex industry and stop the ever increasing undermining/ destabilzing/enforcement against our industry.

love susieXXXO

no, under the proceeds of crime a madame or business owner could loose everything because running a common bawdy house and living off of the avails are illegal.

because the greater community regards all business owners as "bad", long standing businesses that support safe work environments become blanketed by this perception and so are at risk.

my friend in Halifax worked as an escort and then opened her own place. she ran a great family feeling kind of place, i remember us all having eggnog ad wrapping xmas presents together at the parlor. in 17 years of business she never lost a worker or had a violent incident. an over zealous police man, who is soon to retire and become a pastor:neutral:, raided her business under the "end sex work" banner, humiliating workers and customers alike, entering rooms without announcing themselves, shaming people in various stages of dress...

my friend is 67 years old, in a scooter, has diabetes and needs anoxegen tank to breath. what does the police man say to her?

"maybe it's time to try something new"....something new?

now she fears loosing her house and savings under the proceeds of crime law because it's not clear about how the law is to be applied. this police man has no understanding of the longterms harms that will be caused by the loss of safe work environments and is blinded by his own personal moral view which comes from a place of wealth and privilege. older workers will fear loosing everything and will not share their knowledge and experience with workers new to the industry. this is driving the indusrty further and further under ground. those workers who belive in ethics and hard work will not move into the role of madame for fear of loosing everything they worked so hard for.

sorry, but it's naive to believe we will be treated fairly or that only those working and collecting welfare will be affected.

people are expected to pay income tax on all income even if it's illegal. i pay my taxes as a social escort. also to do anything in the world you must have a declared income, to get a bank account, credit card, apartment...

so, i pay as i'm sure do many other workers.

love susieXXXO

this just goes to show, de-criminalization and a self regulating industry are the only way to go. by driving the industry further and further underground they have created the environment which has allowed this to happen.

because being a sex industry business owner is so looked down upon, we have a less and less honorable class of people in that role (business owner).

under the proceeds of crime act, a traditional madame (who was a worker and now teaches others) could loose everything they worked for their whole life. the traditional ways of passing down knowledge from experienced workers to those just entering are being lost due to more and more criminalization.

the "old sckool code" as we call it here is being lost too. it used to be that when you found a youth at risk or engaged in the trade you did what you could to get them out.

there used to be respect between sex workers and business owners. undercutting,un safe sex, stealing regulars, robbing clients...the same things are happening to us and will get worse if we don't try to do something about it.

sorry, little rant there!!! i'm engaged in both charter challenges and feeling a little down about the conservative win.:???:

cheers!

susieXXXO