Canada Prepares for Landmark Prostitution Ruling
Canadian courts are preparing to publish their decision on the legality of three stringent anti-prostitution laws. The laws in question dictate pimping, communicating for the purposes of prostitution, and maintaining a brothel, and declaring these laws illegal would decriminalize prostitution in certain cases. Opponents of the anti-prostitution laws claim that the laws endanger sex workers rather than offering them protection, while those who support them have argued that the reforms will lead to increased prostitution, an ineffective police force, and increased violence against sex workers.
Estonia Criminalizes Sex Trafficking
On the topic of violence, the small European nation of Estonia has criminalized human sex trafficking this week. The new law is a response to US-based critiques of Estonia’s human trafficking laws; the latest US trafficking watchlist cited Estonia as being a “source, transit, and destination country for women subjected to forced prostitution.” While prostitution itself is legal in Estonia, forced prostitution, sexual exploitation of minors, and sex trafficking will now be punishable by a maximum 15-year jail sentence.
Last Madam of Butte Montana Dies at age 94
Unrepentant sinner and notorious madam Ruby Garrett died this week in a nursing home in Butte, Montana. Garrett was a vocal supporter of the decriminalization of prostitution in America, and sparked outrage when she stated publicly that prostitution should be treated like a commodity rather than an issue of morality. While some may remember Garrett for the two prison terms she served for the murder of her husband and tax evasions, other may remember her for her revolutionary stance on the rights of sex workers, and her reputation for treating her employees with kindness and respect.
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