POLA01 L02:
Critical Issues in
Politics I: Human
Rights and Equity
Tutorial 9: Sex Work and
Human Rights
November 20, 2024
Course Reminders
Final draft of the paper is due today (November 20 at 11:59PM)
Final exam is December 19th from 7PM to 9:30PM (reference Acorn for room details)
No tutorials next week, but there is a final lecture
Full final exam review will happen during the last lecture and details on the full
format will be shared then, but expect a multiple choice and definition section
Tutorial Participation Self-Assessment Form
This is a form designed to allow students to self-assess their tutorial participation. Please
note that this form does not serve as the only way to evaluate tutorial participation, and your
grade is also based on my own evaluation of both attendance and participation. The purpose
of submitting this form is to allow students the opportunity to highlight their contributions to
tutorial and/or any circumstances that may have impacted their participation.
https://forms.gle/HbcXW6CRWjNm1PZ29
Human Rights and Sex Work
1. How does the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) impact the
health and safety of sex workers?
2. How do stigma and discrimination influence the experiences of sex workers under current
legal frameworks?
3. What are the unintended consequences of criminalizing certain aspects of sex work, as
discussed in the article?
4. How could policymakers better engage with sex workers to design legislation that addresses
their needs and safety?
5. What ethical considerations should political scientists keep in mind when researching and
debating policies affecting marginalized groups?
Section 1: Multiple Choice
Question 1
1. What is meant by the claim that “human rights are inalienable”?
a) Minimal government is linked with human rights
b) Human rights will inevitably vary according to cultural norms
c) All people are born with certain rights that cannot be given or
taken away
d) All people are equal, but some people are more equal than others
e) No state can ever infringe upon civil rights
Question 1
1. What is meant by the claim that “human rights are inalienable”?
a) Minimal government is linked with human rights
b) Human rights will inevitably vary according to cultural norms
c) All people are born with certain rights that cannot be given or
taken away
d) All people are equal, but some people are more equal than others
e) No state can ever infringe upon civil rights
Question 2
2. What is the primary problem with using a complaints-based model
to address systemic discrimination and racial economic inequality?
a) It requires legal representation which is not accessible or
affordable for all complainants.
b) It is too politically-driven to be applied fairly to all complaints.
c) It is only used within some provinces and so fails to address
systemic discrimination across Canada.
d) It deals with issues on a case-by-case basis rather than
addressing structural inequality.
Question 2
2. What is the primary problem with using a complaints-based model
to address systemic discrimination and racial economic inequality?
a) It requires legal representation which is not accessible or
affordable for all complainants.
b) It is too politically-driven to be applied fairly to all complaints.
c) It is only used within some provinces and so fails to address
systemic discrimination across Canada.
d) It deals with issues on a case-by-case basis rather than
addressing structural inequality.
Question 3
3. Article 15 of the UN declaration of human rights states that
“everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health
and well-being.” This is best described as a . . .
a) Civil/political right
b) Social/Economic right
c) Equality right
d) Cultural right
Question 3
3. Article 15 of the UN declaration of human rights states that
“everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health
and well-being.” This best described as a . . .
a) Civil/political right
b) Social/Economic right
c) Equality right
d) Cultural right
Question 4
4. Which of the following principles is central to feminist
contributions to human rights?
a) Human rights are primarily cultural and context-dependent
b) Rights should be analyzed through the lens of indivisibility,
intersectionality, and development
c) Human rights claims are valid only in the public sphere
d) Social and economic rights are separate from civil and political
rights
Question 4
4. Which of the following principles is central to feminist
contributions to human rights?
a) Human rights are primarily cultural and context-dependent
b) Rights should be analyzed through the lens of indivisibility,
intersectionality, and development
c) Human rights claims are valid only in the public sphere
d) Social and economic rights are separate from civil and political
rights
Question 5
5. Which of the following best describes the role of prison protests
during the COVID-19 era?
a) They were limited to addressing internal prison conditions
b) They emphasized the disconnection between prisons and broader social
movements
c) They were influenced by and contributed to broader struggles, such as racial
justice and public health
d) They sought only to improve the health and safety of incarcerated individuals
Question 5
5. Which of the following best describes the role of prison protests
during the COVID-19 era?
a) They were limited to addressing internal prison conditions
b) They emphasized the disconnection between prisons and broader social
movements
c) They were influenced by and contributed to broader struggles, such as racial
justice and public health
d) They sought only to improve the health and safety of incarcerated individuals
Section 2: Definitions
I will provide 5 terms that may or may not appear on the final exam.
In 4 groups, I want you to define the term, explain its relevance to the
course, and identify which week and reading and/or lecture the
concept appeared in – 2 minutes per concept.
Term 1: Substantive Equality
Term 1: Substantive Equality
Appears in multiple week’s to some extent, but most evidently the
following:
Week 2: Human Rights and Equity (September 11)
Reading: Clement, Dominique., Will Silver, and Daniel Trottier.
(2012). The Evolution of Human Rights in Canada. Ottawa: Canadian
Human Rights Commission. (Sections 1)
Term 2: Cultural Relativism
Term 2: Cultural Relativism
Week 5: Gender and Human Rights (October 2)
Reading: Ackerly, Brooke. (2016). “Feminist and Activist
Approaches to Human Rights” Ch 2 in Human
rights: politics and practice (Third edition.). Oxford University
Press.
Term 3: Encampment
Term 3: Encampment
Week 10: Housing and Human Rights (November 13)
Reading: Brown, Alison, Sarah Gillies, Victoria Marshall, Hannah
Mcgurk, and Laura Pin. (2022). Homeless Encampments Through a
Human Rights Lens. Wilfrid Laurier University.
Term 4: Porous Prisons
Term 4: Porous Prisons
Week 8: Incarceration and Human Rights (October 23)
Reading: Evans, Jessica and Jordan House. (2023). “A prison is
no place for a pandemic”: Canadian
prisoners’ collective action in the time of COVID-19.
Punishment & Society
Term 5: Human Rights Institution
Term 5: Human Rights Institution
Week 4: Human Rights Systems (September 27)
Reading: Eliadis, Pearl. (2014). “Introducing Human Rights
Systems” Ch 1 in Speaking out on human
rights: debating Canada’s human rights system. McGill-Queen’s
University Press. (pgs
25-28, 33-49)