“A draconian measure” is what AIDS Saint John is calling Common Councillor Susan Fullerton’s new motion on cracking down on prostitution.
Executive Direction Julie Dingwell tells CHSJ news the idea of charging sex workers with jaywalking or improper use of a sidewalk is backwards and mean spirited. She says she’s surprised Fullerton didn’t seek out more information on the issue, and thinks the Sex Trade Action Committee (whom Dingwell is chair of) will now have to come in and inform the new council.
Dingwell says prostitution in Saint John hasn’t gotten worse, and says we need to deal with the underlying issues of addiction and poverty instead of criminally charging them. She says when you charge a sex worker $150 for jaywalking, it only makes them rush to work to pay that fine, which can be dangerous. She adds they already work very closely with police, and have recently hired a sex trade out reach worker to help stabilize sex workers get back on their feet.
Dingwell says sometimes with the sex trade it comes down to a moral issue, and when people make decisions based on moral ideas instead of evidence, it’s always dangerous.
