Prostitution in Canada

RESEARCH PAPER
Prostitution in Canada

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

History of prostitution in Canada 3

Definition of prostitution 4 * What is prostitution? 4 * Causes of women entering prostitution 4 * Troubled childhood 5 * Homelessness, poverty, employment and drugs 5 * Friends 6 * The most dangerous places 6

Consequences of prostitution 7 * Health and Safety Risks 7 * Health Risks 7 * Safety Risks 8

How to prevent prostitution? 9 * Legalization 9 * How to quit prostitution? 9

Conclusion 9

Works Cited 11

Prostitution in Canada

Introduction
Prostitution is a controversial subject, involving complex and contradictory interests, values and issues. The most visible evidence of prostitution, street solicitation, is an acute problem in large Canadian cities.
This essay focuses mainly on street prostitution in Canada, and on women, who represent the majority (75%) of prostitute workers. It mainly attempts to describe prostitution, its social, health and safety consequences. Is prostitution a problem itself, or is it part of a bigger problem?

History of prostitution in Canada
Throughout the 1800s, prostitution in Canada was organized primarily around brothels. The houses were grouped together, often sharing their neighbourhood with taverns in the poorer parts of town (Gray, 1971, pp.24-26).
In his book, Gray explains that at the turn of the century, with the development of the transcontinental railways, there was a mass migration of single men, “which created an environment in which prostitution flourished”. Brothels were located close to the railway stations (1971, pp.78-85). Little was done to close them, since the authorities felt that prostitution had to be tolerated because it could not be eradicated.
From 1890 on, legal repression made it more difficult

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