由雏妓到法律系学生，加拿大女子温迪.巴布科克(Wendy Babcock)一生堪称充满传奇，成功故事也启发无数人。不过她始终未能摆脱堕落风尘后的精神困扰，日前怀疑自杀身亡，结束短暂而坎坷的一生，终年三十二岁。
巴布科克周二被发现死于多伦多家中，警方排除谋杀可能。出生于破碎家庭的她，年少时离家出走，十五岁开始卖淫，十六岁辍学。廿四岁那年，巴布科克眼见 一名同行被嫖客所杀，决定洗心革面，从良重返校园。虽没有修够入学学分，但巴布科克○九年还是获得着名的约克大学奥斯古德法学院破格取录。
友人指将修读第三学年的巴布科克，正筹备写回忆录，希望毕业时出版。巴布科克曾说，进入法学院令她证明自己的价值，立志成为律师则因不满法例存在漏洞。她誓言要改革法例：「我过往没受到法律的保护，今后会以律师身份挑战法律。」
诞子被夺抚养权未能团聚
曾是雏妓的巴布科克，当年目睹同行被杀，有感妓女成为暴力受害者，激发她成立组织，为性工作者争取权益，收集有暴力倾向的嫖客名单，令她成为性工作者权益活跃分子。加拿大性工作者权益组织领袖斯科特，讚扬她是各地性工作者的启蒙者。
巴布科克经常演讲、游行、参与电影製作，以自身奋斗经历激励无数人。朋友指她非常健谈，甚至在街上找警员讨论性工作者权益。对她而言，性工作者亦是正 当职业，无分贵贱，应获同等尊重。法律系教授杨格忆述，有次他在堂上说出「妓女」一词，巴布科克立即纠正他说：「是性工作者。」
巴布科克在别人眼中开朗、聪明，但笑容背后，其实充满痛苦。她长期受精神问题困扰，多次图自杀。她曾说：「我不想让别人看到自己的痛苦，所以表现出开心正常的样子。」巴布科克诞有一子，○三年被褫夺抚养权，多年来一直争取与子团聚，可惜至死未能如愿。
source: http://news.backchina.com/viewnews-154991-gb2312.html
Wendy Babcock (May 24, 1979 – August 9, 2011) was a Canadian activist for the rights of sex workers. Born in the city of Toronto, Babcock became a sex worker at the age of 15.[1] From 2004 to 2007 she was a key member of Sex Professionals of Canada, an advocacy group whose main objective is to promote the rights of sex workers and the decriminalization of Canada's prostitution laws.
Babcock was recently the chair of the Bad Date Coalition of Toronto, a group that produces a monthly Bad Date Book which publishes reports of violent acts committed against sex workers, including details of the attacker. She testified in Alan Young's Constitutional Court Challenge to decriminalize the prostitution laws.[2]
Babcock co-initiated a partnership with Toronto Police Services to ensure sex workers can report assault without fear of persecution or prosecution, and being a member of the advisory group to the Special Victims Unit. Other projects that Babcock helped to create include Safer Stroll Outreach Project, Regent Park Community Health Centre's Sex Worker Drop In, the Health Bus Sex Workers Stop and Wen Do safety training for sex workers.[3]
Babcock took a leave of absence from sex work after her friend and co-worker Lien Pham was murdered on October 13, 2003.[4] In 2002 - 2003 Babcock began sex worker advocacy while working for Maggie's, a peer run organization for sex workers. [5] From 2003 - 2010 Babcock worked at Street Health as a Harm Reduction Worker.[6]
In 2008 Babcock received the Inaugural Public Health Champion Award for her work with sex workers. The award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to protecting and promoting the health of Toronto’s residents.
Babcock participated in three films, Sluts: The Documentary[7] , the 2007 Grafiti Award winning film for best documentary Where I Stand,[8] and the 2010 short film Every Ho I Know Says So. [9] Babcock also appeared on television including the CBC's Connect With Mark Kelley twice,[10][11] and Global TV's 16:9 The Bigger Picture.[12] Babcock can also be seen in a video on a website for Eva's Phoenix homeless shelter where she resided during her youth.[13]
Wendy Babcock worked as a sex-worker consultant to Kat Dennings for her role as a sex worker in the 2009 film Defendor, starring Woody Harrelson. Also in 2009 she began to pursue a J.D. degree at Osgoode Hall Law School.[14]
Wendy joined Lover Magazine (North America's first women's sexuality magazine) in 2011 as a writer on sex work issues.
At the time of her death, Babcock was at work on a memoir, to be released in 2013 to coincide with her graduation.
Wendy Babcock died Tuesday August 9, 2011.[15]