3.0 Characteristics at program intake
In this section, data from the MAPI program related to client characteristics at program intake are presented. These variables are the referral source (to the MAPI organization), the number of previous attempts to exit the sex trade, the risk level for returning to the sex trade, as well as the types of support networks clients have.
3.1 Referral source
Almost a quarter (24%) of clients in the MAPI dataset had referred themselves to a MAPI-funded organization for supports, programs and services (Chart 3.1). Police were the second largest referral source at 14%, whereas family and friends made up a small proportion of referrals (2% and 5%, respectively in Chart 3.1). This variable has standard response categories that present different professionals in social services separately; however, when social workers, outreach workers, crisis support workers, child welfare workers, shelter staff and other service delivery agencies are combined they account for close to 40% of client referrals to the MAPI organizations (data not shown).
Chart 3.1
Proportion of MAPI clients by source of referral to MAPI funded organizations, Canada, 2015-16 to 2019-20
Text version
This is a vertical bar graph with 13 categories representing the source that referred MAPI clients to a MAPI funded organization for services. The text on the side of the graph indicates that the data are presented as percentages and the total number of people in the study is 2,289.
The first category is for people who are self-referred to a MAPI organization. The bar is dark blue and indicates 23.9%.
The second category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by their parents and family. The bar is dark blue and indicates 1.7%.
The third category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by their friends. The bar is dark blue and indicates 5.0%.
The fourth category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by an outreach worker. The bar is dark blue and indicates 8.4%.
The fifth category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by a social worker. The bar is dark blue and indicates 8.4%.
The sixth category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by a medical professional. The bar is dark blue and indicates 6.7%.
The seventh category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by police. The bar is dark blue and indicates 14.1%.
The eighth category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by a crisis support worker. The bar is dark blue and indicates 5.2%.
The ninth category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by shelter staff. The bar is dark blue and indicates 4.9%.
The tenth category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by another service delivery agency. The bar is dark blue and indicates 8.3%.
The eleventh category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by a child welfare worker. The bar is dark blue and indicates 1.3%.
The twelfth category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization by other sources not already named in the graph. The bar is dark blue and indicates 7.4%.
The thirteenth category is for people who were referred to a MAPI organization but the source of the referral is unknown. The bar is dark blue and indicates 5.2%.
Notes:
- Categories are not mutually exclusive; clients may have reported multiple referral sources therefore percentages will not add to 100%.
- The “Unknown” category consists of responses of “Unknown” and “Not stated” (blanks).
Source: Justice Canada, Measures to Address Prostitution Initiative (MAPI), 2015-16 to 2019-20.
3.2 Exit attempts
During interviews, many representatives of the MAPI organizations explained that people who seek to exit the sex trade often go through several attempts before they finally exit. In the MAPI data, at program intake, 46% of clients indicated that they had attempted to exit the sex trade at least once (Table 3.1). For almost 20% of clients this was their first attempt to exit the sex trade, and for 10% it was their second attempt. About 15% of clients indicated that this was their third attempt or more (data not shown). There was a high proportion of cases where that information is not available (54%), due to high numbers of responses indicating the information is unknown or not stated (data not shown).
In the interviews, it was also reported that some clients wanted to exit the sex trade, but returned to it because they simply could not afford to pay bills, care for themselves and their families, or maintain their lifestyle on income assistance or through mainstream employment. One interviewee described it like this:
The sex trade is an old business – it has an allure that working at Tim Horton’s for minimum wage does not. The minimum wage also doesn’t pay the bills, it’s difficult to do that when you know you can post an ad and make $1,000 in one night. Often they have family and children to care for too.
The significant lack of safe and affordable housing, as well as emergency shelters, is another critical barrier to exiting the sex trade. Throughout the interviews with MAPI organizations, respondents frequently referred to the housing crisis across cities and communities in Canada. Those interviewed frequently described the significant lack of safe and affordable housing as one of the most crucial barriers for people trying to exit the sex trade. Over a third (38%) of people in the MAPI client dataset accessed housing supports through their MAPI organization, which includes programs such as emergency shelter and crisis beds, transitional housing, and support with longer-term housing such as social housing, and finding other safe and affordable housing options (Chart 4.1).
Table 3.1
Proportion of MAPI clients by the number of attempts to exit the sex trade, Canada, 2015-16 to 2019-20
| Number of attempts to exit the sex trade | Percentage N = 2,289 |
|---|---|
Tried to exit the sex trade at least once |
45.6 |
First attempt |
19.2 |
Second attempt |
10.4 |
Third attempt |
5.1 |
Fourth attempt |
2.2 |
Fifth attempt or more |
8.5 |
Unknown |
54.3 |
Total |
100.0 |
Note: The “Unknown” category consists of responses of “Unknown” and “Not stated” (blanks).
Source: Justice Canada, Measures to Address Prostitution Initiative (MAPI), 2015-16 to 2019-20.
3.3 Types of support networks
The two most frequently mentioned support networks in clients’ lives were family (32%) and other programs (32%) (Chart 3.2). About 4% of clients reported that friends are an important support network for them, and 21% identified their community as a support. For 12% of clients there were no reported support networks.
Chart 3.2
Proportion of MAPI clients by types of support networks in their lives, Canada, 2015-16 to 2019-20
Text version
This is a vertical bar graph with nine categories representing the different types of support networks MAPI clients have. The text on the side of the graph indicates that the data are presented as percentages and the total number of people in the study is 2,289.
The first category is for people who identified family as a support network. The bar is dark blue and indicates 31.5%.
The second category is for people who identified friends as a support network. The bar is dark blue and indicates 4.3%.
The third category is for people who identified their community as a support network. The bar is dark blue and indicates 20.8%
The fourth category is for people who identified a support group as a support network. The bar is dark blue and indicates 7.1%.
The fifth category is for people who identified the Children’s Aid Society as a support network. The bar is dark blue and indicates X because the number of people was too small to be published and was suppressed to protect confidentiality.
The sixth category is for people who identified Indigenous organizations as a support network. The bar is dark blue and indicates X because the number of people was too small to be published and was suppressed to protect confidentiality.
The seventh category is for people who identified other programs as a support network. The bar is dark blue and indicates 32.0%.
The eighth category is for people who did not identify any support networks. The bar is dark blue and indicates 11.9%.
The ninth category is for people whose support networks were unknown. The bar is dark blue and indicates 19.7%.
Notes:
- X means data have been suppressed to protect confidentiality.
- Categories are not mutually exclusive as clients often have multiple support networks, therefore percentages do not add to 100%.
- The “Unknown” category consists of responses of “Unknown” and “Not stated” (blanks).
Source: Justice Canada, Measures to Address Prostitution Initiative (MAPI), 2015-16 to 2019-20.
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