People choosing to work in the sex trade don't need to be "rescued."
That was one of the messages being delivered Monday at an information booth in St. George's Square in recognition of International Sex Workers' Day.
"A lot of people, especially the general population, think people choosing to engage in sex work need to be rescued. We really want to debunk that message and really empower people who do engage in sex work," said Cory Gillies, an organizer of Monday's event and an outreach worker with Guelph's HIV/AIDS Resources & Community Health (ARCH).
Gillies said it's also important for people to understand the difference between coersion and choice when it comes to sex work.
While there are people being forced into sex work, there are also a lot of people choosing to work in the sex trade. They tend to get lumped into one group, which isn't fair.
"It's absolutely about consenting adults engaged in sex work out of their own choice," added fellow organizer Nazia Siddiqui, Women’s Community Development Coordinator with Guelph's HIV/AIDS Resources & Community Health (ARCH).
"It's important to understand the nuances of this conversation," she said. "Not everyone that works in sex work has been forced, or coerced or has been trafficked. That's not the case.
"People's individual choices and their right to make those choices need to be understood and respected."
Siiddiqui said events like Monday show why "this is so important for us to be out here. People do not have understanding and awareness about the importance of the day and of sex workers' rights in general."
"It's a teaching moment. An exchange of ideas and engaging people in conversation," Siddiqui said of Monday's event, which featured slogans chalked onto the sidewalk, literature, red umbrellas with slogans on them and volunteers willing to engage in conversation about the stigma and challenges sex trade workers face.
International Sex Workers’ Day first began to honor the one hundred sex workers who occupied Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France, on June 2nd 1975. They organized to protest criminalized, dangerous and exploitative working conditions and discriminatory laws that violated their human rights.
The Sex Workers occupied the church for eight days and were eventually forced to leave by the authorities on June 10th 1975. This action sparked a national movement and the day is now celebrated in Europe and around the world.
Sex workers and their supporters have been calling for the full decriminalization of sex work in Canada, which would help remove the stigma of sex work and make it safer for those working in it.
"Everyone should be safe in whatever work they are choosing to do, no matter if you're a construction worker, a seasonal migrant worker in Wellington County or engaging in sex trades. The common thread is that everyone would want a safer working condition, no matter what the trade they are choosing to be in," Siddiqui said.
