In a bid to reduce the dangers faced by those who work in the sex trade, the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC) believes the federal government should fully decriminalize prostitution.
The London agency's board of directors released its official position on the issue on Friday.
"We recognize that the overwhelming bulk of evidence-based research demonstrates that full decriminalization [of both supply and demand] consistently produces the best outcomes for sex workers, victims and survivors of human trafficking, and the community more broadly," the agency's board said in a statement.
As such, RHAC wants all criminal and administrative prohibitions and penalties, including those that zero in on people who purchase sex and third parties who run escort agencies, removed.
The agency states doing so would help end stigmas that often creates harmful barriers for those who work in the sex trade.
"When sex work is criminalized, workers are at an increased risk of violence, their ability to engage in HIV and Hepatitis C prevention is limited, and they experience heightened stigmatization," the board said. "At RHAC, we have seen first-hand the long term and deathly consequences of stigma and believe decriminalization will help to reduce these experiences and promote greater autonomy and dignity for sex workers."
There is a critical need for the public to understand the difference between sex work, which is a choice, and sexual violence, human trafficking, and exploitation, which is not, the board stated.
The agency's position on full decriminalization of prostitution is in line with organizations that support individuals in the sex trade such as London-based Safe Space and Maggie’s: Toronto Sex Workers Action Project.
However, other agencies, including the London Abused Women’s Centre, have stated both prostitution and human trafficking are "inherently violent" and have advocated for sex purchasing to remain illegal.
