Edmonton – The Sexual Exploitation Working Group (SEWG) has launched a new campaign aimed at ending sexual exploitation in Edmonton.
The SEWG is comprised of community agencies, City of Edmonton staff, an Edmonton Police Service (EPS) member, and a city council liaison.
One of the focuses of the campaign is to end sexual exploitation with the help of social media. The SEWG has launched the short film “Dirty Little Secret” on Youtube to spread its message.
WATCH: “Dirty Little Secret”
“I can tell you from my Vice experience that men and women, transgender, and, most distressing, the children we focus on helping did not grow up dreaming of becoming involved in what is commonly known as the sex trade,” says EPS Staff Sergeant Jerry Nash. “Several feel trapped, coerced, and in many cases they feel they have few other options than the sex trade.”
The EPS says 591 johns were arrested and 440 vehicles were seized in the city between 2007 and 2013.
“Our strategy is to attack the demand side of sexual exploitation. When you watch the video, we’re making a call to arms to all men to get involved because it’s critical that they’re part of the process of stopping this type of exploitation,” says Nash.
The internet is driving the growth of sexual exploitation and sex in Edmonton. According to “Structure and Agency: reflections from an exploratory study of Vancouver indoor sex workers,” an estimated 80 per cent of Canadian female commercial workers are not engaged with street level sex work, instead working in indoor settings.
Kate Quinn from Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) says more citizen involvement will be a key factor in stopping sexual exploitation and sexual trafficking.
“Reporting a john on the website, looking for drug trade activity, looking for the signs of sexual exploitation and sexual trafficking that are all around us and knowing how to report.”
Quinn says it’s also important to eliminate misconceptions about victims of sexual exploitation and to increase the number of options they have to leave their situations.
“We need to build empathy. We need to debunk the myth that it’s all about free choice. We need to understand the stories that bring the people forward to where they’re forced to sell their bodies to survive.”
SWEG holds the annual Sexual Exploitation Week of Awareness. It also creates a variety of learning opportunities and produces education materials for the public and for front-line workers.
The group was formed in 2004.
Comments