Activists try to portray prostitution as just another career choice

With the Beijing Summer Olympic Games just weeks away, no one is watching more closely than Vancouver, which has a vested interest in observing how the Chinese pull off the spectacle.

Both may be Olympic host cities, but differences between Beijing and Vancouver quickly become apparent by examining how they address social problems associated with the games.

Nothing portrays those differences more than prostitution, which China has just set its sights on. The country has launched a crackdown on its red-light districts and bars, even publishing a legal guide that says foreigners who expected to engage in prostitution are not allowed in the country.

No mention in advance of how it plans to enforce the policy, but the government is clearly cracking down on vice, and on the sex workers who are prevalent everywhere. It has ordered staff in nightclubs to avoid skimpy clothing, it is imposing new restrictions on private rooms at clubs, and it is posting signs against prostitution and drug dealing.

Contrast that with Canada, where the discussion is going in the direction it usually does when vice comes under discussion here: tolerance, choice, and legalization.

Prostitutes want to overturn Canada's laws against selling sex, and are pushing to establish legalized brothels in time for the Olympics, when thousands of travelers seeking sex are expected to arrive in town.

What's so startling in this case is the number of politicians, academics, and others who are lining up to lend support to efforts to turn prostitution into just another career choice.

Freelance writer Brian Welter went out to talk to the people behind the story, those who are fuelling the legalization movement, as well as those opposing it.

He particularly concentrated on those who work with prostitutes to help them leave the street.

The series, which starts on Pages 8-10 this week, will continue through July 28. It is dedicated to the people of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.