CFUW has long advocated for research, legislative reform, and effective programs/services to address and abolish the trafficking of women and girls for the purposes of sexual exploitation/enforced prostitution.

CFUW has also called on the Government of Canada to amend the Criminal Code of Canada so that prostituted persons are no longer subject to criminal charges, but rather that the purchase of sexual services is prohibited. We have further asked that provincial, territorial and municipal governments of Canada fund essential support services in order to enable prostituted persons to earn a living free from prostitution.

Sweden implemented this model in 1999, and according to government figures, street prostitution has been cut in half. Compared to Denmark where the purchase is legal, Sweden’s street prostitution is far less than Denmark’s even though Denmark’s total population is 5.5 million while Sweden’s total population is much larger at 9.3 million. (Source: See Ekberg and Raymond below.)

See some of our resources & actions:

• Response to the UN Women “Consultation Seeking Views on UN Women Approach to Sex Work, the Sex Trade and Prostitution” (October 2016)
• Letter to Justice Minister re: Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act
• Brief to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights for study of Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act( also available in French)
• CFUW Concerned that New Prostitution Legislation will Continue to Criminalize Women – June 2014
• CFUW’s Response to Consultation Concerning Bedford et al. v. Canada
• Letters to the Prime Minister of Canada, Leader of the Opposition, and Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada re: Canada v. Bedford et al.
• Press Release: CFUW Calls for Prostitution Debate That Ends Violence
• CFUW Fact Sheet on Prostitution and Human Trafficking

Additional resources:

• Prostitution, Trafficking and Traumatic Stress
• The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy it
• The Swedish Approach: A European Union Country Fights Sex Trafficking
• Gunilla Ekberg “The Swedish Law that Prohibits the Purchase of Sexual Services” in Violence Against Women, Vol.10 No.10,1187-1218, (2004)
• Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Office to Combat Trafficking in British Columbia, Victoria, BC. octip@gov.bc.cai
• Benjamin Perrin “Sweden’s Fix: Jail the Johns”.
• Janice Raymond “The Swedish Approach to Trafficking, Prostitution and the Sex Industry” (2010)
• Canadian Sex Work Policy for the 21st Century: Enhancing Rights and Safety, Lessons from Australia