Response to CPHA’s A Public Approach to Sex Work: Addressing Stigma and Demanding Change

In its February 2024 article, A Public Approach to Sex Work, the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) takes a commendable step in advocating for a health-focused and harm-reduction approach to sex work in Canada. However, as a former sex worker and someone deeply invested in this issue, I find their analysis missing crucial nuances, especially regarding the lived realities of sex workers and the structural harm perpetuated by current laws and societal stigmas.
While the CPHA aims to address exploitation and harm, the conversation must go deeper to challenge ingrained ideologies that conflate consensual sex work with trafficking, stigmatize workers, and criminalize an industry that many enter willingly for autonomy, financial independence, or personal choice.

The History of Labeling: From Deviants to Victims

The stigmatization of sex work in Canada has deep historical roots. While CPHA acknowledges the harms of current laws, the narrative often shifts focus from empowering workers to portraying them as victims needing rescue. This framing echoes the legacy of the neo-abolitionist movement, which criminalized behaviors surrounding prostitution under the guise of “protection” but ultimately marginalized and endangered those it claimed to help.

For instance, early Canadian laws targeting bawdy houses and streetwalking disproportionately punished women, perpetuating the idea that sex workers are inherently deviant or incapable of consent (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Today’s policies, like Bill C-36, replicate this paternalistic approach by criminalizing clients and creating a legal framework that pushes sex work further underground, increasing risks for those in the industry.
The CPHA’s approach rightly highlights harm reduction, but without addressing the structural violence of these laws and the societal stigma that labels sex workers as “throwaway girls,” we risk perpetuating the cycle of harm.
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