Advocate fights brothel raids

Crackdowns force prostitutes onto streets, Stepping Stone director says
By SHERRI BORDEN COLLEY Staff Reporter
Fri. Sep 19 - 10:01 AM

Police raids on escort services do not stop the sex trade and may make the work more dangerous, says the head of a Halifax agency that helps sex workers.

"Cracking down on brothels . . . not permitting sex workers to work indoors pushes them out on the street, where they are more vulnerable to violence and to stigmatization," said Rene Ross, executive director of Stepping Stone.

The organization provides support, crisis counselling, advocacy and court support for sex workers.

"We’re certainly not saying that we should be turned into the Las Vegas of Canada," Ms. Ross said. "We’re not saying that at all, and we’re not saying that we want legalization because legalization and decriminalization are two different things.

"What we’re saying is needed is decriminalization of the existing solicitation laws, of the bawdy house laws, and again for the health and safety of sex workers."

Legalization, on the other hand, could lead to prostitutes being taxed on their income.

Canada, Ms. Ross said, needs to look at a New Zealand model that has decriminalized the operation of bawdy houses and street-based sex work.

"They’ve toughened up other laws," she said, referring to New Zealand.

"They’ve toughened up nuisance and noise laws around communities, signage around escorts, and what has been happening.

"We’ve been getting reports back here in Canada that it has also enhanced communication between sex workers, their allies and law enforcement."

A recent bust of an alleged bawdy house on Queen Street in Dartmouth happened in late January after a woman who had been working at the escort agency tipped off police.

In that case, Patricia Mary Dumaresq, who is listed as the sole partner of Park Avenue Escort Service, has pleaded not guilty to keeping a common bawdy house, exercising control over the movements of a person to compel the person to engage in prostitution and procuring a person to become a prostitute.

Ms. Dumaresq is scheduled to go to trial in June.

Ms. Ross said Stepping Stone advocates decriminalization, which would help ensure that police resources get directed toward violent crimes, "where it’s needed."

"It will increase co-operation, so more crimes will be reported to police. We really want to see an end to the violence that is going on. We want workers to be able to have access to the support and to the services that will be able to assist them to have a good quality of life."

Going into its 20th year of operations, Stepping Stone will soon release its first brochure on the myths and realities of sex workers. It will be distributed throughout the community.

Deputy Chief Chris McNeil of Halifax Regional Police said no matter how you look at it, there’s no way to romanticize prostitution.
"I would defy anybody to tell me that young girls and young boys grow up to say I want to be a prostitute," Deputy Chief McNeil said.
"It’s circumstances in life that forces them into that and we shouldn’t continue to victimize them by this misguided romantic notion that somehow this all can be done and it’s all choice.

"It is a dangerous, dangerous (job). There is no safe way to prostitute yourself."

Like any other social problem, addressing prostitution requires a multi-faceted approach, and law enforcement only plays one role, he said.

The deputy chief agrees that one of the ways to get people out of prostitution is to give them better opportunities.

"But it’s been my experience that it’s not a choice that people work the street. It is usually driven by circumstance. Either they’re being forced by a human pimp or they’re being forced by other circumstances like poverty or drug addiction."

Under Canada’s Criminal Code, communicating for the purpose of prostitution, keeping a common bawdy house and pimping are all offences. And as long as these remain crimes, officers will continue to enforce the law, Deputy Chief McNeil said.