It Is A Law But Is It Right?
From a young age we are taught to follow rules of all sorts. The first rules we learn are simple things like no hitting, clean up after yourself, do not cuss, and eat all of your veggies. As we get older, we start school and get so many more rules, Do not cut in line, wait your turn to talk, be respectful, do not take things that are not yours etc. At a certain age, you start learning about the laws you have to follow. Most of them make sense. Do not murder, drive on the right side of the road, and everyone is entitled to their rights.
As people get older, they start to develop morals; a sense of what is right and what is wrong. In a lot of cases, ones morals will not line up with specific things that are legal or illegal. In my personal and humble opinion, there are a few things in the law that I believe should be changed.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of what is right in the eyes of the law versus what is right in my opinion is the use of drugs. I do not believe that all drugs should be legal and easy to but but the laws around drugs are too tight and it is killing people. People with drug addictions are scared of being persecuted and therefore do not reach out and get the help they need to get clean. The same thing applies to people who are either experiencing or witnessing an overdose. They are scared to call for help and end up facing charges. This is killing people. No one should be put in prison for drug use because they will not get the help that they need. They need rehabilitation, not punishment.
The next thing I feel should be legal is prostitution. Sex work is work and I will say it again. In the society that we live in, some jobs are seen are more or less ideal than others. Not everyone can get the “ideal” job, especially considering the fact that both the education system and the work industry are not fair. People get shamed for working a minimum wage job when in reality, a lot of people would be very angry if they could not get their daily coffee and sandwich from Tim Hortons on their way to their office job that they cannot stand working. The law says that by making prostitution illegal, they are protecting the dignity and respect towards women because the label it as selling ones body. People fail to see and respect the fact that is is not seeing their body, rather it is selling a service.
If prostitution is legalized, not only does it open up pathways for mental and physical healthcare (STI prevention for example) but it also makes the job itself more safe. It would drastically make it more safe for anyone working in the industry. A more safe and more regulated environment would be created thus improving the lives and jobs of sex workers. The major downside to legalizing it is the idea of exploitation. Sex workers can and will be exploited, as every worker is. Exploitation of workers is something that has been made unavoidable by todays standards of working and therefore, in my opinion, decreases the validity of the argument. In the end, legalizing prostitution will increase the safety and health of workers and hopefully put an end to the mindset tat sex work is not a valid form of work.
The next topic I am talking about is a sensitive topic to many so here is a trigger warning: mentions of grooming, rape, and sexual assault. If those topics trigger you, I suggest you stop reading. Take care of yourself :)
The laws around the age of consent to sexual activity in Canada can be difficult to navigate as there are many exceptions and contradictions. On the Government of Canada website under the Department of Justice, there is a page that states the laws about consent. The first thing that is stated in regards to the age of consent is that “[t]he age of consent to sexual activity is 16 years”. It then proceeds to say “a person must be at least 16 years old to be able to legally agree to sexual activity.
The next part on this page is “close in age exceptions”. It states that a “14 or 15 year old can consent to sexual activity as long as the partner is less than five years older”. This is completely contradicting the age of consent being 16. The close in age exception makes it legal for a 14 year old child to have a relationship, sexual or not, with an 18 year old (assuming no relationship of trust, authority, or dependancy). There is a lot to unpack.
The first thing I have to say is the fact that I do not agree with the close in age exception at all. If you are 18 or older and are in a relationship with a minor, my blog is not a place for you. A person above the age of 18 pursuing any kind of relationship with a minor is a child predator and is not welcomed on my blog or in my life in general .
At the age of 14, people are very susceptible to grooming which is a pedophile preparing a child for a meeting with the intention of committing a sexual offence. Although the 14 year old may verbally consent, it is stated in the law that a person under that age of 16 cannot legally consent to sexual activity. An 18 year old is an adult and should not, under any circumstance ever, have an unprofessional, romantic, or sexual relationship with a minor. A 14 year old is a child and it is grooming if an 18 year old has a relationship with them.
As a woman, from a young as 11 years old, I have had people tell me that I am “mature” for my age. Many other women experience things similar to this and it needs to be talked about more, especially with young boys. With topics like rape and sexual assault, boys and men are often told that they should enjoy it which is horrible. The same thing goes for young boys being groomed by older women. It is dismissed in a lot of cases because younger boys and men are almost expected to want to be with an older woman. This is a very dangerous mindset to have because grooming affects boys just as much as it does girls. If a person is below the age of 16, they should not be able to legally consent as the law states. The close in age exceptions makes a relationship between a 14 year old and 18 year old legal, but morally, it should be very wrong.
Although it is legal, I strongly believe that it should not be. I know it is redundant, but I cannot stress enough how wrong it is to have a relationship with a minor at 18 years old. A 14 year old is not necessarily old enough to understand how bad a relationship with an adult is. Schools need to have better education on topics such as rape, grooming, and sexual assault against everybody alike. All in all, a 14 year old is a child and an 18 year old should not be able to have a relationship with a child. If you are a teenage or young adult, it is best to stick to people of your own age. Age gaps stop mattering if you are both consenting adults. We need to protect children from the things that the older generations had to go through. This is one hell of a good place to start.
On a side note, I would like to say thank you to everyone following and reading my blog :) it makes me very happy that people want to read my writing and your support has been amazing! Thank you so much!
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