A former sex-trade worker argued on Thursday she deserves a day in court to fight for the safety of women actively involved in her old line of work.
The B.C. Court of Appeal finishes hearing Sheryl Kiselbach’s arguments Friday.
Kiselbach wants the right to challenge B.C.’s prostitution laws after her first attempt was denied in 2008 because no active sex worker was willing to go to court.
“I feel I have the right, even though I’m out of sex work, to be an expert on this issue and that my experience on sex work is as valid to me as they are to other sex workers,” said Kiselbach.
She is supported by Pivot Legal Society lawyer Katrina Pacey, who said she believes it is unreasonable to ask active sex workers to go to court based on the boundaries they face because of their trade.
“Sex workers … have privacy concerns working in an underground and criminalized industry,” Pacey said. “They (also) have concerns about further stigma and discrimination.
“What we want is to have this really important human-rights case to happen without putting sex workers at further risk.”
