Sex work within Canada and Ukraine: social aspects and factors that manifest and affect legislation
Author
Faculty Advisor
Date
2022
Keywords
sex work, legislation
Abstract (summary)
This project discusses the criminalization of sex work and the social and institutional aspects that affect its legality. While some individuals believe that these women are simply working for a living, using the assets they have available to them, other individuals believe that sex work is one of the most immoral things you can do with your body. They often think there is inescapable exploitation when it comes to sex work, often believing that it is different from other jobs that deteriorate your physical health to make money for the business exploiting your labour. However, there are, of course, people who believe that sex work is an inherent part of society and could have a positive role, and therefore the government and its citizens should attempt to make it accessible and safe for those workers. The unequal and negative perception of sex work could come from religious views of sex and women, social stigma, cultural norms, or government legislation that criminalizes sex workers. To discover the difference between Ukraine and Canada’s sex work legislation, general statistics on each country will be explored, as well as gender inequality, historical legislation, social norms, the country’s wealth, and violence statistics. The goal is not to determine if either country should change its legislation but to further understand the factors that may impact a country's harsher legislation against prostitution. As well to hopefully reduce stigma through education to make sex work a safer and less stigmatized option for those who would like to pursue a job in the industry. This is a complex problem, with little consensus among individuals, academics, government officials and sex workers. There is no universal way to solve it, nor a universal way to study and understand it. However, it is important to address societal inequality by researching, improving access to education, and further understanding it. Thus, what societal aspects affect legislation regarding sex work?
Publication Information
Stephens, M. (2022). Sex work within Canada and Ukraine: social aspects and factors that manifest and affect legislation. Crossing Borders: Student Reflections on Global Social Issues, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.31542/cb.v4i1.2479
Notes
Item Type
Student Article
Language
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)