As the new year begins, I often find myself reflecting on the year that passed—thinking about the pivotal moments and considering what lies ahead in 2025. As I was cleaning out my office in preparation for a minor renovation, I came across my scribbled notes that I had taken from Simon Sinek’s TedTalk entitled “Why”. In that talk, Simon says, …
What do you see? Do you see a glass half empty, a cookie half eaten, and half a mess still to clean? Or…do you see a glass half full, half a cookie to enjoy, and half the job done with progress being made! There are two ways of looking at most things in life, aren’t there? Recently I read …
Recently I shared with you a quote from Mother Teresa: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” Of course, sometimes when we try to “cast a stone” in life it can be discouraging. Maybe it doesn’t go as far as we’d hoped, or the ripples aren’t as big …
You’ve often heard us encourage you to talk with your MP about the issues Defend Dignity is working on. Sound kind of intimidating? It really doesn’t have to be! Summer is often a great time to connect with your MP in a casual setting. You might see them flipping pancakes or frying hamburgers at various community events. They would love …
Have you ever skipped a stone on a lake? Maybe you’re pretty good at this quintessential summertime activity. How many skips can you get? I learned recently that the world record for competitive stone skipping (yes, it’s a thing) is 88 skips. Now that’s a lot! Of course, we’ve all experienced the flip side of that world record — where …
This brief was submitted by Defend Dignity to the UN’s Human Rights Council in June 2024. It was submitted in response to an invitation for input on this report by the UN’s Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls; a report that examines violence against women and girls as a form, cause and consequence of prostitution. Input for …
February 6th is Safer Internet Day, a day marked annually to raise awareness for a safer and better internet. These days most of us are “plugged in” to the internet each day for various tasks, whether it’s for work, school, productivity, or connection to others. The United Nations has long recognized the usefulness of the internet for education, community, and …
“Sex Buyers Attitudes” is a Defend Dignity-commissioned research paper that set out to gather data on Canadian sex buyers and how they view those they are purchasing for sex. This data set provides important insights into how buyers think and communicate, and further underscores the role demand plays in driving prostitution. Below is a summary of the research paper which …
This blog post was written by Gerald Chipeur, KC, and Tory Hibbitt. Ontario Superior Court Grapples with Question: How May Parliament Protect Women and Girls from Sexual Exploitation? In 2013, in its landmark decision Canada (Attorney General) v Bedford, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously declared the country’s anti-prostitution law to be unconstitutional because the law violated the rights of …
This guest blog post was written by Trisha Baptie, founder of EVE (formerly Exploited Voices now Educating). Canada is at a very important crossroads right now. The topic? One you might think you know a lot about, informed by mainstream media, yet one you might also feel you have no connection to. Prostitution. One of women’s oldest known oppressions. Lately, …
