On December 17, 2014, sex worker and ally organizations across British Columbia delivered an open letter to Attorney General Suzanne Anton calling on her to protect the safety of sex workers in the province.
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Delivered on the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, the letter urges the Minister to create guidelines stating that it is not in the public interest to charge or prosecute individuals who are alleged to have violated the provisions of Canada’s new prostitution law, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA), that criminalize adult sex work.
"We call on you, as Attorney General, to take the necessary steps to protect the health, safety, and human rights of sex workers in this province. As an essential aspect of that strategy, we ask that you create prosecutorial guidelines stating that sex workers’ safety is a priority in British Columbia. Further, we ask that the guidelines state that it is not in the public interest to charge or prosecute individuals who are alleged to have violated the provisions of the PCEPA that criminalize sex workers, clients, or others engaged in consensual adult sex work."
Read the full letter here.