our bodies, our work, OUR SAY! this event is TODAY at 1pm

[Miss Jessica Lee 43328]

**** I know this is the wrong section, but I have no idea where this belongs. Maybe it can be moved? I just saw this announcement it's terribly short notice but if anyone is in the city and wants to attend I thought I should share it...


Our Bodies, Our Work, OUR SAY!
Feb 13, 2014


Maggie's: The Toronto Sex Worker Action Project will be hosting a sex worker community consultation meeting for current and former sex workers (ONLY) on Friday February 28th at 1pm.

This consultation meeting is the first of many consultation and advocacy initiatives organized by the Sex Workersâ?? Community Consultation and Advocacy Project (SWCCAP) a sex worker-led initiative bringing together sex workers from all sectors of the industry, including street-based and indoor workers, doms/subs, massage providers and dancers, to mobilize, strategize and discuss the current climate of prostitution law reform in Canada.

SWCCAP's mission is to center the voices of sex workers within the policy and law-making process in order to promote decriminalization as well as bring to the forefront the needs and desires of sex workers. By bringing sex workers to the table, we are working to challenge and change the dominant legal and political structures that impact our lives and our work.

As a grassroots initiative, the project will create spaces for sex workers to share our experiences and ideas, as we are experts on the impact of prostitution law. While this project focuses on law reform post-Bedford, our long-term aim is to build and strengthen the sex workersâ?? rights movement in Toronto.

Sex workers know what they need to be safe and live with dignity. SWCCAP will act as a medium giving sex workers in Toronto the opportunity to participate in this historical moment. Often the voices of sex workers are silenced and excluded from these very important debates and discussion that consequently shape and determine our future. We refuse to be excluded and through this project will demand that policy and lawmakers listen.

The Conservative party has already indicated that they are interested in applying the Nordic Model, which criminalizes the purchase of sex, to the Canadian context. Research has demonstrated that the Nordic model harms sex workers by creating dangerous working conditions. The rhetoric of this model suggests that it â??helps prostituted womenâ? by attempting to end demand for sexual services through the criminalization of clients. This condescending approach strips sex workers of their agency, takes away their right to self-determination, and denies their ability to consent to sexual activities. Our consultation project will assert the agency and the right to self-determination for sex workers, and bring our views and directives into this debate.

Come out and have your say! All genders and experiences welcome!

[url]http://maggiestoronto.ca/news?news_id=117[/url]