[Canadian] Court tosses prostitution laws' provisions

[Posteritatis]

Source: CBC News

An Ontario court has thrown out key provisions of Canada's anti-prostitution laws in response to a constitutional challenge brought by a Toronto dominatrix and two prostitutes in 2009.

Ontario's Superior Court of Justice ruled Tuesday the Criminal Code provisions relating to prostitution contribute to the danger faced by sex-trade workers.

Dominatrix Terri-Jean Bedford and Valerie Scott and Amy Lebovitch had argued that prohibitions on keeping a common bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of the trade force them from the safety of their homes to face violence on the streets.

The women asked the court to declare legal restrictions on their activities a violation of charter rights of security of the person and freedom of expression.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/09/28/prostitution-law028.html

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It's gonna be an interesting few days to follow Canadian legal news, methinks, especially given Harper's hatred for the judiciary. This'll probably go up to the Supremes, but either way.