Sexual exploitation

Sexual exploitation is the practice of obtaining sexual gratification, financial gain or advancement by exploiting the sexuality or nudity of another person or group of people. Generally speaking, this practice affects women and girls the most. 90% of trafficking victims are women and girls.

Sexual exploitation is within a continuum of violence against women, including prostitution in all its forms: street prostitution, escort services, so-called erotic massage, domination and submission services, nude dancing, sexual slavery, sex tourism, national and international trafficking in human beings for sexual purposes, forced and mail order marriages, etc.

Impacts of Sexual Assault

The impacts of sexual assault are diverse and can manifest themselves in different forms and at different times in life. Whether the sexual assault is recent or occurred years ago, the impact can vary from victim to victim. Some emotions or reactions will occur immediately after the assault, while others much later – days, months or even years after the assault.

SURVIVORS REACT TO THE ABUSE IN THEIR OWN WAY AND THE HEALING PROCESS DIFFERS FROM PERSON TO PERSON.

Forms of sexual exploitation

Pimping and Sex Trafficking

Pimping or sex trafficking occurs when an exploiter compels, through various means, a person to provide sexual services and solicits some or all of the person’s earnings.

In Canada, pimping and trafficking for sexual exploitation are comparable since in both cases the victim is forced to provide sexual services. The differences between these two concepts are essentially legal.
The exploiter can be :

A spouse
A friend
A so-called “protector”
A pimp
A trafficker
A sugar daddy
etc.

Forms of sexual exploitation

Sex Tourism

Sex tourism occurs when people travel to another country in order to have easier access to prostitutes and to be protected from the laws of their country.

Forms of sexual exploitation

Child Pornography

When a person views, possesses, produces or distributes material such as photos, videos, audio, written material depicting body parts of minors for the purpose of sexual gratification or depicting minors engaged in sexual activity.

Forms of sexual exploitation

Prostitution

Prostitution is the act of providing sexual services in exchange for payment, usually in money, but sometimes in services, drugs, etc. In Canada, providing sexual services is not illegal. Rather, it is the buying and consuming of sexual services and/or profiting from the exploitation of others that is illegal. Clients, who are predominantly male, commit a criminal act by contacting a person for the purpose of obtaining a sexual service or by shopping for, purchasing or consuming such a service, regardless of whether the person providing the service is a minor or an adult.

Overcoming the Impacts

The CALAS counselors accompany women, through a helping relationship, to overcome the consequences and impacts of the violence they have suffered, regardless of their realities and without any judgment. We receive women who have or have had an experience in the sex industry, regardless of their definition of prostitution.

Leaving the sex industry

Our project Voix de sortie offers support in the many steps and obstacles that women encounter when they want to leave the sex industry.

Contact the Voix de sortie project worker (email: voixdesortie@calas.ca) or reach the worker’s cell phone by CALL or TEXT: 819-271-6411