Attitudes, Beliefs, and Knowledge of Prostitution and the Law in Canada

• Published in: Canadian journal of criminology and criminal justice Vol. 54; no. 2; pp. 229 - 244
• Main Authors: Morton, Heather, Klein, Carolin, Gorzalka, Boris B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Toronto University of Toronto Press 01.04.2012
• Subjects: Attitudes; Belief & doubt; Canada; Ethnicity; Knowledge; Law; Males; Prostitution; Public policy; Purchasing; Students; Ontario Canada; Canada
• ISSN: 1707-7753; 1911-0219
• DOI: 10.3138/cjccj.2010.E.46

Prostitution in Canada is technically not illegal; however, current laws make the act of buying or selling sex illegal under most circumstances. The legal status of prostitution was recently brought to public attention after three of these laws were deemed unconstitutional by an Ontario Superior Court judge. The present study recruited 238 Canadian undergraduate students to investigate their knowledge of, and attitudes toward, current Canadian prostitution laws. In addition, the relationship between these attitudes and beliefs about prostitution more generally, were examined. The results indicate that while most students have an accurate understanding of the majority of the laws relating to prostitution, they are unaware of situations in which prostitution can take place without breaking the law. Further, students are generally unaware that communicating for the purposes of prostitution in a public place and being found within a bawdy house are illegal. The number of years participants had lived in Canada was found to be a significant predictor of more accurate knowledge of the laws. Gender, ethnicity, and beliefs about aspects of prostitution were significant predictors of attitudes toward the law. Participants perceived female and street prostitution more negatively than male and indoor prostitution. Implications with respect to education and changes to the current legislation and public policy are discussed.