The murders of sex workers far exceeds the murders of any other occupation. In fact, murder is the leading cause of death for those who currently work in the sex industry and over half of these murder cases go unsolved (compared with only 20 per cent of other homicides—Statistic’s Canada 1995).  When other occupations face violence our government takes action by installing safety mechanisms (think taxi drivers and camera’s; and the Occupational Health and Safety Act) but when over 70 workers (all women) are killed our government does… nothing. How the hell did it become “okay” or even “socially acceptable” to murder women with a sexual occupation?

In every city across Canada research shows that since the birth of the Communicating for the Purposes of Prostitution law in 1985 the number of assaults and murders of sex workers has gone up 150%. Over 200 female sex workers have been killed (and that’s only when police were absolutely certain that the victim was a sex worker – since most sex workers keep their work hidden means this number is more than likely at least double) in Canada since 1991 making sex workers the highest population of women to succumb to a death caused by violence. 

But unlike other murders these murders are not treated in the same respects. Unlike the Ecole Polytenic massacre – in which 14 women were shot and killed by a man name Marc LePine) – the massacre on Robert Pickton’s farm – in which it is believed that over 69 women were murdered at the hands of Robert Picton – did not receive any days of silence (in comparison the Ecole Polytenic massacre received 3 days of silence), nor has the Prime Minister addressed what has been described as Canada’s worst serial murders.  This is not to say that the victims of Robert Pickton deserve any more justice than the victims of Marc Lepine,  rather it is to point out the difference in reaction when 14 “respectable” women are killed vs. 69 women who lived “at risk life styles” are killed. One receives national attention and recognition, while another is just “hookers” who are not worthy of any other identity.

This attitude isn’t only confined to our government as the media perpetuates this idea. It’s become commonplace in our media to define murdered women who have worked in the sex industry by their occupation rather then as a woman, while the men who kill them are almost always defined by their gender rather than anything else (i.e. Alberta man charged in second prostitute's slaying, Second man held in prostitute murder hunt, or Man Suspected Of Killing Prostitute With A Hoe. You never see Mechanic Kills Woman or Former US Marine Kills Sex Worker for, heaven forbid, that might humanize sex workers, and if we humanize sex workers than what other woman would we be able to degrade and abuse with such acceptence?