Escort: MacKays

prostitution bill will kill

people
By Olesia Plokhii | Jun 6, !"#
$hen %aroline &ewcastle 'irst poste( a photo o' hersel' on an escort website
'our years a)o, she wore a )reen (ress*
+hen , years ol( an( stu(yin) 'or an un(er)ra(uate (e)ree in -uebec %ity, she
was ner.ous* /he ha( ne.er tra(e( se0 'or 1oney, an( the encounter wasnt
e0actly what she was hopin) 'or*
%aroline, who uses a pseu(ony1, was hal' nake( within 'i.e 1inutes* +he se0
laste( the 'ull hour she ha( ne)otiate(* /he 'elt it was too 'or1al, too black an(
white* But it was work, she 'i)ure(, an( once she counte( her 1oney, she
(eci(e( it wasnt so ba(*
%arolines secon( e0perience, a two2hour .isit with a client, was better*
$e talke( 'or an hour, ha( a )lass o' wine, he was really nice an( well
e(ucate( an( we really )ot alon) well 3 an( the se0ual e0perience was 1uch
better,4 she sai(*
&ow 5, the well2spoken, e(ucate( )irl2ne0t2(oor2lookin) %aroline is pursuin) a
Ph6 at an Ottawa uni.ersity 3 an( earnin) a li.in) in the se0 in(ustry*
But she worries about her sa'ety an( the sa'ety o' her 'rien(s i' %ana(as new
prostitution law passes*
7ts (e.astatin),4 she says*
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%aroline is youn), but sophisticate(* /he speaks well, (escribin) how se0 work
is like any other type o' work 3 un(esirable workin) con(itions in the escort
business are si1ilar to poor labour stan(ar(s elsewhere, she says* +he only
(i''erence is that se0 workers are (enie( the ri)ht to co1plain*
/he has a)ree( to 1eet 1e at a local co''ee shop, but pre'ers 7 (ont say where*
/he is wearin) 6!s style cat eye( )lasses, a loose leopar(2print )rey sweater,
9eans an( %on.erse shoes* /he see1s (own2to2earth yet well2)roo1e( : no
1akeup, 1anicure( nails an( a (an)lin) crystal on her neck*
;'ter her secon( se0ual encounter, she tells 1e, her career <9ust 'lowe(*4
/he starte( up a website that catere( to 1en lon)in) 'or <the )irl'rien(
e0perience,4 an( built up a loyal clientele o' 1en, wo1en, couples an( the
(isable(* /he sees up to ei)ht clients a week an( 1akes enou)h 1oney to li.e
co1'ortably in one apart1ent, 'inance another 'or encounters with clients, an(
put hersel' throu)h school* =ourly rates 'or escorts in Ottawa )o between >!!
an( >6!!*
7 (ont anticipate stoppin),4 she says* <71 in 'or the lon) haul*4
E.en i' the 'e(eral )o.ern1ents new prostitution le)islation, which
cri1inali?es clients an( prostitutes, passes, she says shell <9ust a(apt*4
7t wont be easy, thou)h, because she knows whats at stake*
7n a((ition to her stu(ies an( two 9obs, she also works as a researcher on
ca1pus 3 %aroline a(.ocates on behal' o' Ottawas se0 workers* %allin) hersel'
an <acti.ist 'or se0 workers hu1an ri)hts,4 she .olunteers 'or Power, a )roup
that seeks protection an( reco)nition o' se0 workers throu)h (ecri1inali?ation*
$hen the /upre1e %ourt struck (own %ana(as prostitution laws in 6ece1ber
because they en(an)ere( prostitutes, %aroline was )lee'ul 3 an( she 'elt sa'er*
On $e(nes(ay, when Justice Minister Peter MacKay table( his bill 3 which
coul( 1ake it ille)al 'or her to ha.e a website, share a resi(ence with other
escorts where they take clients, an( screen her custo1ers 3 she was
<heartbroken*4
6urin) a news con'erence $e(nes(ay, MacKay 1a(e clear that this is both a
1oral an( le)al issue 'or hi1, callin) prostitution <(e)ra(in)4 an( 9ohns
<per.erts*4
Minister MacKay in his press con'erence yester(ay sai( no one chooses to (o
this, it is inherently (e)ra(in), inherently .iolent,4 sai( %aroline* <+he laws
1ake it .iolent an( this speech was (e)ra(in)* +he 1ost (e)ra(in) thin) that
happene( to 1e yester(ay was hearin) his speech* 7t was aw'ul hearin) hi1
speak about so1ethin) he knew nothin) about*4
@n(er the law, she coul( also be arreste( i' she is seen co11unicatin) 'or the
purposes o' se0 near 1inors 3 a pro.ision critics say enco1passes e.ery public
place, 'orcin) se0 workers 'urther into the sha(ows*
+he reality is this le)islation will kill people, as the 'or1er le)islation (i(
be'ore*4
%aroline has ne.er ha( a ba( e0perience with her clients* ;s an in(oor escort,
she arran)es se0 by phone or online an( has se0 in(oors Aher secon( apart1ent,
a hotel or her clients place, usuallyB* =er screenin) rules are unbreakable:
people 1ust )i.e their real na1e 3 'irst an( last 3 their place o' work,
so1eti1es their ho1e a((ress, an( they 1ust be willin) to talk to her o.er the
phone be'ore they 1eet* Once she has that in place, she checks a <ba( (ate list4
circulate( by sa'e se0 work )roups, takes her cell phone to all 9obs an( pre'ers
repeat clients she trusts*
/hes ne.er ha( a real proble1* But i' Bill %2,6 passes, her work coul( )et 1uch
1ore (an)erous*
&o ones )oin) to want to )i.e 1e that in'or1ation,4 she sai(*
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%aroline a(1its shes lucky* /he knows those 1ost at risk o' .iolence an( arrest
are the poor, ho1eless, 1entally trouble(, (ru) a((icte( street workers who
work when Ottawa sleeps*
/treet workers also ha.e unbreakable rules 3 1ake sure there are (oor han(les
insi(e the car to a.oi( bein) locke( in, 1e1ori?e a license plate, re1e1ber a
'ace* But with 9ohns or clients 'earin) arrest, %aroline says street workers will
ha.e only secon(s to screen 1en lookin) 'or se0, an( will be 1ore likely to )et
in a car with anyone in the e.ent (e1an( (rops as a result o' the law*
+heyll nee( to screen that 1uch 'aster,4 she sai(*
Ottawas street workers a)ree* Power brou)ht se.eral o' the1 to)ether at a
/an(y =ill clinic in March to answer a )o.ern1ent sur.ey about prostitution*
One anony1ous worker tol( the )roup that a constant police presence o'ten
lea(s to (an)er*
7' we see cops aroun(, that 1eans we ha.e to re'use (ates until they lea.e or
ha.e to )o hi(e,4 the wo1an sai(* <$e ha.e to wait out in the col(* +he lon)er
you are out there, the 1ore chances you ha.e to run into a psycho*4
;nother se0 worker sai( cri1inali?in) clients will lea( street workers to <resort
to stealin) or other cri1e*4
;nother 'orecaste( an e.en 1ore sinister 'uture*
$hat we (o is i1portant,4 the wo1an sai(* <7' we cant (o it, there will be
1ore rape an( 1ore .iolence in 'a1ilies an( on the street*4
;ccor(in) to /tatistics %ana(a, "C6 prostitutes ha.e been 1ur(ere( since "DD"*
Eecent 'i)ures on other prostitution2relate( cri1es such as battery an( rape are
less rea(ily a.ailable, but /i1on Fraser @ni.ersity pro'essor an( prostitution
e0pert John Gow1an sai( the e.i(ence o' cri1es a)ainst prostitutes is
<o.erwhel1in)*4
/e0 workers, either street or in(oor, also 'ear the new laws will 1ake the1
1ore .ulnerable to police : e.en when they are not tryin) to arran)e se0 in
public*
7n January, police 'ro1 across %ana(a con(ucte( sweeps o' hotels, 1otels an(
1assa)e parlors as part o' <Operation &orthern /potli)ht4 in an e''ort to 'ree
those who ha.e been tra''icke( into the se0 tra(e* +hey also .isite(, un(erco.er,
an in(oor escort who later co1plaine( to the police an( )ot 'ew apolo)ies* ;
police o''icer posin) as <9ohn,4 a client, ca1e to her (oor in plain clothes* 7n the
ele.ator, he tol( her he was a police o''icer an( three o' his collea)ues woul( be
9oinin) the1*
;ll 'i.e entere( her apart1ent an( searche( her ho1e* +hey resiste( )i.in)
their na1es, an( re'use( to lea.e e.en thou)h the wo1an, who )oes by
<-uinn,4 tol( the1 she was sa'e an( (i( this work willin)ly* $hen she trie( to
stop one o' the o''icers 'ro1 openin) a closet, he tol( her not to touch hi1 3
that it coul( be assault*
$hen they aske( why 7 was so upset, 7 tol( the1 that as a wo1an, as a wo1an
who has e0perience( se0ual assault, an( as so1eone who was not 'ully clothe(
or e0pectin) police o''icers, that 7 was 'eelin) harasse( an( inti1i(ate(,4 -uinn
tol( Power* <One o' the o''icers lau)he(*4
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%aroline (i(nt )row up (rea1in) to beco1e an escort*
&early 'our years into the business, she says she has )oo( an( ba( (ays, but that
shes so1ethin) close to happy*
/he 'eels o''en(e( that the 'e(eral )o.ern1ent wants to abolish prostitution,
which is a <9ob like any other*4
7 pay 1y ta0es,4 she says*
/he en9oys her clients, who <lo.e their 'a1ilies4 an( are usually 1ore intereste(
in inti1acy than se0*
Most o' her 'a1ily, close 'rien(s an( collea)ues at uni.ersity know what she
(oes, an( she is prou( o' it* ;n( while shes e0pectin) her li'e to chan)e un(er
the new law, shes not )i.in) up on her 9ob or her a(.ocacy*
7ts not the en( but its not the be)innin), an( the 'i)ht will continue*4
Plus, she says, she cant really think o' a better alternati.e ri)ht now*
Gike a really shitty 9ob at %haptersH4