Introduction

• Previous page
• Table of Contents
• Next page

This study examines the socio-demographic characteristics as well as the experiences of people who provide or have provided sexual services in Canada’s sex trade and received support services through organizations funded by the Measures to Address Prostitution Initiative (MAPI).1 The MAPI was established to provide funding to non-profit organizations and law enforcement agencies during the period of 2015-2016 to 2019-2020. The funding was allocated to 23 non-profit organizations and law enforcement agencies in the provinces2 who offer support services to people who provide sexual services in Canada.

The primary sources of data in this study are a mixture of qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative data come from an administrative database based on standardized variables and responses; however, not all of the quantitative data was collected systematically. The administrative database includes some open-ended responses that were coded for this study; there is therefore variability in results across the 13 MAPI organizations that provided the client data, as well as some high rates of non-response. For example, a few variables that had standard response categories across MAPI organizations are gender identity, age groups, and specific target group, whereas other variables like reasons for wanting to exit the sex trade were open-ended and coded according to recurring themes.

The qualitative data in this study come from semi-structured interviews with representatives of 18 MAPI organizations. Although there was an interview guide with standard questions, interviews allowed the respondents the freedom to raise issues and provide details they felt were important based on their experience and knowledge. For example, in many interviews, issues such as childhood abuse, poverty and the child welfare system were raised spontaneously; whereas, others focused more on the experiences of their clients in the sex trade.

Background

On December 6, 2014, former Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act came into force. Former Bill C-36 implemented a “Nordic” approach to the sex trade which was first implemented in Sweden in 1999 and then in several other countries, such as Norway, Iceland,  France, Ireland and Israel (Allen and Rotenberg, 2021). The “Nordic” approach targets purchasers of sexual services and third parties who profit from others’ sexual services. Providers of their own sexual services are not criminalized; they are viewed as requiring support not punishment (Department of Justice Canada 2014).3

Following the coming into force of former Bill C-36, the MAPI was established to support and improve services that assist people who provide sexual services to exit the sex trade (Department of Justice Canada 2017). The MAPI funding started in the 2015-2016 fiscal year, with potential for multi-year funding for a maximum of five years. A key goal of this funding was to support the work of non-profit organizations that provide support services to people who provide sexual services, such as housing, healthcare, therapy, addictions treatment, family reunification and life skills programs.

Another priority for the MAPI funding was to support Canadian law enforcement agencies in providing new or enhanced supports and outreach activities to assist providers of sexual services who would like to leave the sex trade, as well as to conduct public education and awareness campaigns on the effects and signs of sexual exploitation.

Overview of study and data

The data in this study represent people who provide sexual services in Canada and who have sought support from the non-profit organizations and law enforcement agencies that received funding from the MAPI program. This study uses the term “client” to refer to people receiving supports from these organizations. The data from the MAPI program come from three sources: 1) anonymous client data from the non-profit organizations (2,289 clients from 13 organizations), 2) semi-structured interviews (18 organizations during summer 2021), and 3) narrative activity reports (total of 129 reports, 81 from non-profit organizations and 48 from law enforcement agencies). Data in this report mostly come from the first two data sources.

Although MAPI funding was distributed to non-profit organizations and law enforcement agencies to support their clients in exiting the sex trade, all of the MAPI organizations expressly stated that they do not require any of their clients to exit the sex trade. The focus of both non-profit organizations and law enforcement agencies is on harm reduction and safety planning with their clients. The MAPI organizations work on building trust with their clients so that they can provide them with resources and services regardless of whether they choose to exit or remain in the sex trade.

---

• Previous page
• Table of Contents
• Next page