STATEMENT: PASSING OF BILL 251 IN ONTARIO WILL NOT END HUMAN TRAFFICKING; WILL TRAMPLE ON HUMAN RIGHTS For immediate release The following can be attributed to Sandra Ka Hon Chu, Director of Research and Policy, HIV Legal Network and Elene Lam, Executive Director, Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network). June 2, 2021 … Read more
In March 2020, the Ontario government announced a $307 million investment into a five-year anti-trafficking strategy. On February 22, 2021, Bill 251, Combating Human Trafficking Act, 2021 was introduced by Solicitor General Sylvia Jones in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The stated purpose of the Act is to combat human trafficking and provide support for … Read more
SEX WORKER HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS LAUNCH CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 30, 2021 – The Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform — an alliance of 25 sex worker rights groups across the country led predominantly by and for sex workers — along with several individual applicants, have filed a … Read more
This written submission complements comments made previously during our participation in two community consultation sessions. In it, we wish to expand upon our overarching submission that the unjustified criminalization of specific populations, and the role of police in enforcing such criminalization, have understandably impeded, and will continue to impede, relationships of trust and cooperation between those communities and police. In … Read more
Guided by the past and working toward the future as we challenge wrongs, advance rights, and transform lives.
July 23, 2020 The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Dear Minister Lametti: In 2014, the federal government passed the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (S.C. 2014, c. 25), criminalizing all facets of sex work, including selling sex in a public space, purchasing sex in all spaces, all material benefits from … Read more
In March 2020, Body Rub Centres in Edmonton were closed pursuant to a State of Local Emergency Order, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 27, 2020, Edmonton City Councillor Jon Dziadyk stated he wants to explore options for accelerating the permanent closure of Body Rub Centres in the next annual update, given that the Centres are currently … Read more
We make this submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Mr. Felipe González Morales, to describe laws and policies that inhibit migrant sex workers and other marginalized communities from enjoying their right to freedom of association, as well as concrete steps that States, international organizations and the UN can take … Read more
November 28, 2019 — Sunday, December 1 is World AIDS Day, and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network is calling on the Government of Canada to respond to HIV with a renewed emphasis on human rights and a much-needed infusion of resources. The latest data shows HIV infections are continuing to rise, with a 17.1% increase … Read more
In advance of the adoption of the List of Issues Prior to Reporting for Canada’s periodic review under the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW Convention”), to be held during the 76th Pre-Sessional Working Group (11 – 15 November, 2019), the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network (“HIV Legal Network”) … Read more