Court strikes down prostitution laws

A ruling by Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has effectively struck down Canada’s ban on prostitution. "These laws, individually and together," wrote Justice Susan Himel in the landmark decision, "force prostitutes to choose between their liberty interest and their right to security of the person as protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms." The ruling, which had been on reserve for nearly a year, was prompted by a case in which three sex trade workers argued the laws forbidding prostitution force sex workers onto the street and expose them to violence.

Toronto Star