Half the Sky Canada

09/06/2023

09/06/2023

The current Canadian gov't wants to do exactly this. They passed a resolution 5 years ago to fully decriminalize buying women's bodies. That will include pimping and exploiting and will affect younger and younger girls and women. Because of vocal opposition of many women's groups across the country, the resolution has not made it to parliament for a vote. Your opinion voiced to your own MP can stop that resolution of legalizing the s*xual exploitation of girls and women from becoming law.

08/22/2023

Let your MP know you do not want to legitimize buying of women in Canada, as the Liberal party and NDP parties are openly supporting as a change in our law. Canada should not be s*xually exploiting girls and women and calling it consensual or empowering. Your Member of Parliament has a vote.

When demand for s*x is legitimized it requires that a class of women be perpetually available for purchase. So who makes up this supply? Simply put, prostitution necessitates the exploitation of predominantly poor, vulnerable, and radicalized women.

Is this what we want for ?

Hear directly from survivors about the realities of prostitution and why we need to : https://defenddignity.ca/bill-c-36

*xualExploitation

07/22/2023

Stop the Canadian government from fully decriminalizing prostitution. Learn how you can create impact and contact your local government official at vcase.ca.

07/13/2023

Bill S-210, known as the Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Po*******hy Act, was introduced by Canadian Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne. If passed into law, it would require po*******hy sites to implement systems that verify their consumers are adults. This would be a HUGE step forward for kids' digital safety in Canada!

In April the bill passed Third Reading in the senate and is now in the House of Commons. First Reading in the House took place on May 17th.

To learn more about the bill and how you can get involved in supporting it head to https://defenddignity.ca/government-advocacy/protect-youth-from-po*******hy-exposure-bill-s-210/

01/07/2023

Please tell your MP that you do NOT want full decriminalization in Canada. The buyers, pimps and traffickers will be able to buy indigenous girls and women with impunity. Our laws in Canada protect women who have been prostituted. They are not prosecuted but exploiters are. It’s the exploiters behind the push to fully decriminalize buying girls and women. The gov’t is considering legalizing the s*x industry and Canada will be open for s*x tourism. MPs need to hear from all of us.

A Canada that fully decriminalizes prostitution could never claim to be against violence against women or a champion of women's equality. It could never claim to be an ally to the poor, vulnerable, and racialized women and girls who are vastly over-represented in the s*x industry.

The only way forward is to for paid s*x – not encourage it by giving s*x buyers (mostly men) a free pass.

*xWork

[Quote source: from Defend Dignity's brief on human trafficking submitted to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, April 2018. Available at http://defenddignity.ca]

12/28/2022

Bearing the rain, advocates held a vigil in downtown Vancouver Tuesday for the women who were killed in alleged domestic violence incidents in B.C. this year.

11/12/2022

Say their names to save their lives.

10/11/2022

Since 2012, October 11th has been observed as the International Day of the Girl Child. The observation supports more opportunity for girls and increases awareness of gender inequality, including a lack of protection from discrimination and violence against girls/women.
S*xual exploitation has direct ties to women’s inequality and poverty. Women and girls are disproportionately the victims of s*xual exploitation in our societies. Today we stand with girls worldwide in their expectation of a bright future!

10/06/2022

More than 120,000 girls drop out of school every year in Tanzania for various reasons including teenage pregnancies and child marriages according to a 2021 World Bank report.

09/30/2022

09/29/2022

The members of the Women’s Equality Coalition are: Vancouver R**e Relief and Women’s Shelter, Concertation Des Luttes Contre L’exploitation S*xuelle (CLES); Aboriginal Women’s Action Network (AWAN); Formerly Exploited Voices Now Educating (EVE) And Strength in Sisterhood (SIS)
The Women’s Equality Coalition is an intervener in Canadian Alliance for S*x Work Law Reform v Canada.
The hearing at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice is scheduled to October 3, 2022. Stay Tuned.

09/20/2022

If you live in a strata council, you might want to read this....

This guest blog post was written by Trisha Baptie, founder of EVE (formerly Exploited Voices now Educating). Canada is at a very important crossroads right now. The topic? One you might think you know a lot about, informed by mainstream media, yet one you might also feel you have no connection to. P...

09/02/2022

What is the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling?

Human trafficking can be described as modern-day slavery involving the recruitment, transportation, or harbouring of persons for the purpose of exploitation, typically in the s*x trade.

Human smuggling is when someone voluntarily and illegally crosses an international border.

Know the facts. Learn more about what human trafficking looks like in Canada, and how it can happen.

Education can help prevent human trafficking.
https://bit.ly/what_is_ht

08/04/2022