What is a survival sex worker?
Women and, too often, young girls do not become survival sex workers as a lifestyle choice. As sex workers hail from every socio-economic, religious, and ethnic background, their stories are extremely varied. Some have come from homes where addictions were prevalent and prostitution existed; others take to the streets while fleeing physical, psychological and/or sexual abuse, only to find that they are unemployable and have few options for survival. Pimps and drug dealers are only too willing to coerce these women and children into using drugs and then selling their bodies to pay the debts they accrue. The average age of entry into the sex trade is 14 and the average life expectancy is 40.
Economic cutbacks, employment lay-offs, and attendant bankruptcies also contribute to the growing number of older women who can no longer afford to pay their rent and who begin the downward spiral that culminates in living as a 'street person', whose only perceived option for survival lies in working in the sex trade.
"I've tried all my life and now I fit in - I think I finally found myself down here. I feel happy for a change, I find myself laughing at the Centre and telling jokes and I feel accepted which, in my whole life I have hardly ever felt. There's always been something lacking there and I've found that in WISH I can be one of the women. That's a big part of it."
Portrait of a WISH Participant:
She is Daughter, Mother, Wife, Partner, Sister, Aunt, and Friend. Like you, she worries about her loved ones; cries when she's sad and laughs when she's happy. She can be brave and frightened, considerate and selfish, serious and playful.
Look closely at her face as you walk by: perhaps she grew up in your neighbourhood or was a school friend to your children.
The difference lies in day- to- day reality. People seldom smile as she walks by - preferring instead to avert their gaze. Violence and death are possible every time she goes with a john and the escape found in drugs may become permanent.
Why is there a need for a place like WISH?
Women who come to WISH share a pervasive sense of failure, low self-esteem, and isolation. They live with the constant fear and statistical certainty of being beaten, choked, stabbed, raped, or murdered. Although media attention surrounding serial killers in Vancouver, Alberta, and Washington state has highlighted the plight of the sex workers in the Downtown Eastside, there are countless other murders and deaths that are not widely reported.
Women survival sex workers are at risk of contracting life-threatening illnesses such as Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS and their lack of housing, income and support as well as lack of access to health care serve to exacerbate many serious health concerns. Often women working in survival sex turn to drug use as a way to self medicate to escape from the harsh realities of daily life. Living in constant danger and isolation coupled with the on-going trauma of their lives often affects the mental health of women working on the street, and may cause behaviour that further marginalizes them.
Through consistent programming and links with other agencies, WISH is able to provide a safe place where women’s health and safety can be addressed six nights a week. Nutrition is one of the most basic determinants of health and it is through the provision of a nightly meal that WISH is able to engage with women and offer support and opportunity to access other much needed services. Relevant programming in an environment that accepts women how they are at that moment provides women with options away from their chaotic lives on the street, options that can lead to moving away from that life.
Women who work in survival sex face many forms of discrimination and stigmatization and a place like WISH offers them a place of respite and caring where their health and safety is the main concern.
