Name of Organization: Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network)
Website of Organization: www.butterflysw.org
Organization’s Mandate: Butterfly was formed by sex workers, social workers, legal and health professionals. It provides support to, and advocates for, the rights of Asian and migrant sex workers. The organization is founded upon the belief that sex workers are entitled to respect and basic human rights. Butterfly asserts that, regardless of their immigration status, Asian and migrant sex workers should be treated like all other workers.
Project Name: Toronto Bylaws on Body-Rub Parlours
Project Type: Research (memoranda used for internal purposes only)
Project Delivery: Remote
Description of Project: Body rub parlours are any place where non-medical or non-therapeutic massaging services are provided by someone other than registered massage therapists, or other licensed or registered holistic practitioners. Those who own or operate body rub parlours are required to have a Body Rub Parlour licence; an increasing number of municipalities are also requiring other practitioners to obtain a license. Several municipalities in Ontario are currently in the process of reviewing their bylaws on body-rub parlours and other settings where massages occur. As such, Butterfly and the HIV Legal Network are seeking legal research support with regards to the human rights implications of such bylaws.
Butterfly and the HIV Legal Network are seeking a student to: conduct legal research on body-rub parlour and other municipal bylaws and policies in Toronto and other cities across Canada (e.g. Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa), compare how body-rub parlours and other workplaces are regulated in these different jurisdictions, and produce a memo on their findings. The organizations are also looking understand whether these bylaws are valid, compliant with human rights legislation, or if they endanger the lives of parlour workers. This memo will be used internally by both organizations, as an objective report, explaining the law. It will then assist the organizations in making appropriate recommendations to municipalities.
Role of Student Volunteers: The student will be required to complete legal research and help expand past development on this project. The student will help to draft a submission to the city of Toronto (and possibly other municipalities) on the bylaw review and help write a policy paper related to best practice bylaws for body rub parlours and other workplaces where migrant workers provide services. All submissions and research memos will be reviewed by the supervising lawyer before being provided to Butterfly. Students will have the opportunity to attend online meetings and participate in the organizations’ consultation meetings that directly address this issue.
Role of Supervising Lawyer(s): The Supervising Lawyer will oversee the research conducted by the student and will be available for questions regarding the newly produced materials. The Supervising Lawyer will review and approve all final deliverables prior to use by Butterfly.
Type of Law: Human rights law, municipal law, planning law.
Main Project Deliverable: Creating produced content (e.g. research memos, brochures, podcasts, etc.)
Number of Student Placements: 1 student
Hours per week the student volunteer(s) will be expected to work: 3-5 hours/week
Regular shifts or a flexible schedule: Flexible, as the research work is done remotely. The student should coordinate with their supervisor to determine when meetings will take place.
Is there a workspace provided for the student at the Organization: No
Devices and technologies the students will be required to have:
Computer, telephone, internet, MS Word
Is there an expectation for the student(s) to be bilingual: No
Law School Pre-Requisites: N/A
Other Requirements or Expectations: N/A