"Lucky to get away with their lives"

Recent assaults on prostitutes could be called attempted murder, says director of support group
By BRIAN HAYES Court Reporter
Mon. Dec 3 - 5:37 AM

It’s the increasing violence sex workers face that keeps Renee Ross awake at night.

"What’s really overwhelming for us is trying to keep these people alive and safe," says the executive director of Stepping Stone, the only organization in Atlantic Canada that specifically focuses on the health and safety of women, men and transgendered people earning their living as prostitutes.

She said most people have no idea of the level of violence out there.

"We’re doing our best, but it’s getting worse.

"We’re talking about some cases that could be classified as attempted murder. Some (sex workers) are lucky to get away with their lives."

Ms. Ross said she has talked with sex workers who say they have been raped and physically assaulted by clients and others while working the streets of metro. But because soliciting, or arranging to exchange sex for money, is a criminal offence, she said those crimes are usually not reported to police.

She said the fact soliciting is a crime also makes it difficult to determine just how many prostitutes there are because many of them are working in "unsafe and underground" conditions like alleys.

"But we do know from recent statistics that 20 per of sex workers (are) street-based," she said. "What we find ourselves dealing primarily with is street-based survival sex work."

Ms. Ross said that five years ago, Stepping Stone outreach workers averaged about 10 contacts a night with prostitutes. That number has increased to about 25.

With a small staff — only three full-time workers and one part-time employee — Stepping Stone deals with about 195 clients a month, she said. Last year, she said, Stepping Stone made well over 10,000 contacts, although not all of them on an individual basis.

Ms. Ross said the 20-year-old organization is working on building better communication and a more co-operative relationship with police.

Stigmatizing sex workers as "hookers" is another issue they face, she said, noting that many of them view the word as degrading and believe society is not seeing them as people when in fact most are "strong, resilient and wise."

Contrary to public opinion, Ms. Ross said, not all sex workers are drug addicts, a myth her organization is continually trying to dispel.

Stepping Stone is not "a rescue organization," she said, but rather one that meets people on their own turf and on their own terms "where they are at."

"But we will provide support to current and former sex workers and to those who want to get out of the business.

"What makes us unique is that we are successful because we’re very non-judgmental.

"We do street outreach four nights a week. We go to the stroll where the sex workers are at throughout Halifax and the municipality. So we are covering all the bases."

She said outreach workers provide prostitutes with condoms, information on safety and referrals to other community agencies.

Ms. Ross said Stepping Stone provides three streams of programming, including a drop-in centre where street workers have access to food, computers, counseling and HIV testing.

The province, United Way and other organizations fund the group.

"We have a lot of great community partners in HRM so we do a variety of programs," she added. "We’re looking at self-defence classes right now."

Ms. Ross said Stepping Stone also offers a court support program that involves working with the judicial system and probation officers who are monitoring individuals on release conditions.

She said that years ago, there were specific central strolls in Halifax, but because street workers fear arrest by police, the strolls have now spread throughout the municipality.

"That’s why people are seeing an increase of streetwalkers in residential areas," she noted.

Ms. Ross said current laws governing prostitution are "creating a cycle" that causes sex workers to continually breach release conditions on charges of solicitation and in some cases "actually keeps them in the trade" because they need to go back working the streets to pay their fines.

She said police- and court-imposed boundaries (sometimes entire city blocks) barring sex workers from designated areas of the city are also keeping them away from the services they need.

Ms. Ross noted in some cases Stepping Stone, medical and probation services and even their own homes are in areas sex workers have been barred from. "I do know we cannot continue to accept things as they are now," she said.

Decriminalizing prostitution is key to addressing violence, she said.

She noted that in jurisdictions where prostitution has been decriminalized, communication has improved between sex workers and police, more crimes are being reported and civil ordinances governing matters such as advertising, signs and traffic laws have been toughened.

Ms. Ross said Stepping Stone is "breaking its silence" on the plight of street workers because "it’s getting so violent out there."

( bhayes@herald.ca)