We often talk about sex work and exploitation as the same topic. It's often assumed that sex work, the very act of selling sexual services, is inherently exploitative. It is a long-term moral debate that is false. We are being treated to harmful laws as a result of that moral debate.
Human trafficking is not the only form of exploitation that could take place at work. At your work you could experience exploitation by being overworked and underpaid or by working in unsafe conditions. This is the exploitation that sex workers are facing as a result of their criminalization and being pushed into unsafe spaces.
At Maggie's: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project, we advocate for the decriminalization of sex work. Decriminalization, just to be clear, is the removal of any and all criminal offences that target sex workers, clients and third parties. We're not asking for the repeal of trafficking laws, but we're asking for a less problematic application of the laws. There's an assumption of abuse and exploitation in sex work, and the conflation of sex work with human trafficking.
There's an overbroad application of anti-trafficking laws. In particular, they target migrant sex workers. There's aggressive law enforcement profiling and surveillance, which pushes sex workers into further isolation, where they're even afraid to access key services like health services.
We will always advocate for decriminalization of sex work. We would love to see the day when we can talk about sex work like any other respected profession, like agriculture—where even trafficking takes place. We can have a conversation about agriculture without a conversation about human trafficking and the choices that individuals are making. I would love to see that conversation take place.