New facility aims to help former sex trade workers
Refuge for those fleeing sex trade
A new shelter for women fleeing sexual exploitation opened its doors over the weekend in Vaudreuil-Dorion. Supporters say it’s the first shelter in Quebec to provide a safe place specifically for women looking for a way out of prostitution.
The shelter, which can accommodate up to five women, is funded by private donations to La Sortie (The Way Out), a not-for-profit organization founded in 2013 to offer help and support for victims of sexual exploitation in Quebec.
La Sortie director Ronald Lepage said the organization has been working toward opening the shelter since its inception. A strong majority of women in the sex trade would like to find a way out, he said, but stay because they don’t think they have anywhere to go.
“It’s the first step to begin a new life,” said Lepage. “They are stuck, really. If they don’t have a secure place, they can’t have a way out of the sex trade. They need that place to get a new start and to stabilize their health.”
After leaving the sex trade, many women need time to work on their mental and physical health, he said. Others need support with social reintegration, and creating a new vision for their life. Being in Vaudreuil-Dorion brings the women to a new and very different environment, away from their pimps, and the shelter offers relief from financial pressures, Lepage said.
Women staying at the shelter are asked to contribute a token $10 per day for food and lodging for the duration of their stay, but Lepage said no one is ever turned away if they can’t afford to pay.
There is no time limit on how long a woman can stay at the shelter, he said, and few restrictions on what they do and where they go, with the exception of any illegal activities. Women are asked to set their own goals and objectives to reach independence in their own time.
“We don’t want to pressure them to leave. We really want them to take the time they need,” Lepage said. “The only thing we want to see is if they are working on their objectives for treatment. If they work on that, even if progress is slow, we don’t care, we want to work with them.”
Lepage said the new shelter is only the first phase of a bigger vision, however. By the time the shelter’s one-year lease is up, Lepage hopes La Sortie will be ready to open in a larger building with space and support in place to accommodate even more women, including those with children.
The organization is now eyeing a former convent in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region with 16 rooms, which Lepage said he hopes La Sortie will be able to buy next year.
The organization has already raised around $275,000 over the past two years through its annual galas, and hopes to raise another $150,000 or so at this year’s event on Nov. 17.
For more information on La Sortie or the upcoming fundraising gala, visit lasortie.org.