Brazilian sex worker Laura Maria do Espirito Santo, vice-president of the Association of Prostitutes of Minas Gerais, shops for lingerie after an English class in Belo Horizonte May 12, 2014. A group of sex workers are taking English classes once a week i
Brazilian sex worker Laura Maria do Espirito Santo, vice-president of the Association of Prostitutes of Minas Gerais, shops for lingerie after an English class in Belo Horizonte May 12, 2014. A group of sex workers are taking English classes once a week in preparation for the World Cup. They hope these lessons will help them communicate better with soccer fans coming to Brazil who might use their services. During the classes, they not only learn basic vocabulary like the days of the week, but also sexual words and phrases that they use on the job. Picture taken May 12, 2014. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares (BRAZIL - Tags: SPORT SOCCER WORLD CUP EDUCATION SOCIETY) ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 11 OF 13 FOR PACKAGE 'BRAZIL 2014 - DOWN AND DIRTY ENGLISH LESSONS' TO FIND ALL IMAGES SEARCH 'SEX MINAS GERAIS'

Canada's new prostitution law has triggered an interesting response from the Canadian Public Health Association for making it a professional business. In a position paper released last week, it urged the government to end the witch hunting on sex workers and try to regulate the sex industry so that it can run like a business with valid rules to protect the safety of sex workers.

The demand assumes significance in the backdrop of Canada's new prostitution law that came into effect on Dec 6, after the Supreme Court struck down the old law for "violating the safety rights of prostitutes." The association, in its report, said the world's oldest profession needs to be regulated under a framework of occupational health and safety laws. It said the current laws are inadequate to address the root cause of prostitution, that includes poverty and homelessness, reported Cbc. Ca News. More than 60 groups in Canada have already raised their voice against it and demanded its repeal, citing its scope for abuse and scope for criminalisation of purchasing sex along with curbs like ban on advertising and other communication.

Exit The Trade

For the government, the new law is a step towards an altruistic end, that is to facilitate the escape and exit of sex workers from the trade itself. The federal government has announced $20 million package for a period of five years to rehabilitate the prostitutes who will leave the trade. The position paper also called for "meaningful, appropriately resourced programmes" towards exit strategies to help prostitutes get out of the business.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne also extended her support to the debate on repeal of draconian laws. Wynne said she harboured grave concerns about the new law. The health association's new report also stressed that "the current approaches to managing sex work through the criminalisation of the purchase or sale of sex do not address the root cause of entry into the trade or the results of sex work."

The report highlighted the plight of sex workers who face a higher incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Researchers in Toronto, Barrie and Oshawa found that many sex workers are not even ready to confide to health professionals how they earn a living for fear of discrimination. It noted the higher share of aboriginal women in the sex trade and recommended special attention in dealing with the issues specific to them.

Killing Demand

There is surprise among many analysts why the new prostitution law is keen on banning advertising of sexual services in print or online media. The new law prohibits running ads for paid sex in newspapers, Web sites, magazines and the like. This amounts to a way of silencing the sex workers. The government's version is that advertisement will trigger demand for prostitution. But sex workers say this is a denial of opportunity for them to practice safe trade by having access to clients who are well screened and chosen on merit, reported National Post.