
Aaron Vincent Elkaim / AP
Terri-Jean Bedford, center, makes a victory sign during a press conference in Toronto on Monday, March 26, 2012 with Nikki Thomas, left, and Valerie Scott, right, after the Ontario's Court of Appeal struck down a ban on brothels, saying a ban on brothels puts prostitutes at risk and is unconstitutional. Bedford, a dominatrix, has argued that Canada's sex trade laws force workers from the safety of their homes to face violence on the streets.
The top court in Canada's Ontario province on Monday legalized brothels in an attempt to make prostitution less dangerous for those employed as sex workers.
The landmark decision noted that prostitution is very dangerous and existing laws prevented sex workers from banding together and hiring security guards.
The case will most likely be appealed to Canada's Supreme Court and a final decision is thought to be at least a year away, according to the Globe and Mail.
Starting in 2013, sex workers will be able to work together in a brothel in any part of the province, the newspaper reported. On April 25, prostitutes will be able to hire body guards, the court decided.
Communicating for the purposes of prostitution will still be illegal, according to the judgement, the newspaper reported. Keeping this part of the current law in place will likely help assuage fears that the new laws will encourage sex workers into overtly propositioning clients in public, the newspaper added.
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