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REPORT TO COUNCIL

"WHAT CAN BE DONE DIFFERENTLY - RECOMMENDATIONS FROM
ADDICTIONS SEX-TRADE EDUCATION PREVENTION
(A Step) CONSULTATION

November 26, 2002

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to allow families of the missing women and other concerned citizens to voice in their own words what they believe can be done to prevent other families from suffering as they have. The consultation was put in place to allow ideas to be voiced by those closest to the situation and to have those ideas recorded in order to enable action. The following recommendations were considered the most viable of those offered, but the complete list of recommendations is included (see appendix A) for the interested reader.

RECOMMENDATIONS

BACKGROUND:

On March 5, 2002 Council resolved:

Subsequently a consultation group was formed: `Addictions Sex-Trade Education Prevention' (A STEP). Six meetings facilitated by Councillor Lynne Kennedy were held from May through November 2002 in consultation with representatives of families and advisors in addition to sidebar meetings with organizations (see Resource List) involved with sex trade workers. Some members of the consultation residing outside of the Lower Mainland participated through correspondence, others by phone calls or e-mails. Over 25 people associated with the issue participated in the consultation process.

Dating back to 1983 there have been at least 63 women who have vanished from Vancouver, British Columbia's Downtown Eastside. Most of the women were prostitutes who struggled with expensive drug habits. All of the women were daughters, sisters, or mothers; all the women were valuable human beings. It took the persistence of these women's loved one's to bring to the public's attention the problem of disappearing women; it took their determination to get the police to listen to them. Unfortunately by the time the awareness had sunk in a horror would surface. British Columbia is once again the centre of the world's attention. The last time B.C. faced such scrutiny was during the early 1980s when Clifford Olsen became every parent's worst nightmare.

Currently Robert William Pickton is charged with 15 murders and the investigation is nowhere near done. This report will not focus on the missing women investigation, but rather on what the municipal, provincial and federal governments can do to prevent children and youth from becoming involved in the sex trade, to help families of those who have fallen prey to the streets, and to help sex trade workers exit the trade. Although the Downtown Eastside (DTES) was used as a major example for consultation purposes, the group was aware of other `strolls' in the Greater Vancouver area and the recommendations contained in this report extend to those other areas. Although there have been numerous reports written concerning the sex-trade, outlining recommendations and changes that governments could make, the following words and hopes are those of a unique group.

This report is the result of a collaborative effort between the families of the missing women, Vancouver City Council and concerned citizens. Every effort was made to include those who wanted to be part of the process. The following recommendations were considered to be the most pertinent and viable of those presented during the consultation sessions.

DISCUSSION

1. Sensitivity Training
The problem of missing women on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) has brought to light many worrisome issues, not the least of which is the lack of sensitivity on the part of many involved. Family experiences in dealing with emergency services personnel, victim service workers, and the media have not all been positive. Initial contact with any service regarding a missing person should be treated with respect, empathy and understanding. Special issues concerning residents of the DTES (such as lack of education, developmental delays, sexuality issues, and, gender and cultural inequality) need to be taken into consideration when working with them. Sensitivity training should be provided for all emergency and victim service workers. Specific techniques would have to be developed. A special curriculum should be adopted by all education institutions that provide media training and reporting journalism. Their programs and responsibilities should include an outline for fair and responsible reporting. Stories must be accurate and verified. There have been concerns regarding media jeopardizing cases. It is important to remember when dealing with the people on the Downtown Eastside that they are more than suspects, victims, patients, or stories; these are real people who deserve the same respect we would show to our own brother or sister.

2. Addiction/Substance Abuse Services and Treatment

There are some services available to the residents in the Downtown Eastside, but still not enough is being done. As sex trade workers are a transient group, there should be more effort to educate them on what services are available in the DTES and other areas of the region so that if they want to, they can get help. Drug addicts tend to lead a nocturnal existence, yet many services that are meant to help this group are only available during the day. Services aimed at drug addicts should operate on drug addict schedules. The window of opportunity for getting a addict into detox is small; unfortunately the waiting list is long. There is a need for a place where people can dry out without having to wait. As one mother stated, "If a woman decides she's had enough and is fed up with her lifestyle and wants to try to break free she requires immediate assistance at that time before she or someone changes her mind to not leave."The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and other jurisdictions should be approached to examine how they could ensure "treatment on demand". When an addict does reach a treatment centre there are still more obstacles in the way. While it is hoped that families would be supportive of the treatment and the recovery processes, an individual's privacy must be respected. It was suggested that an `arms-length' connection to detox centres should be available that would allow families to check up on their loved one's progression. There should be an investigation into the viability and security of rapid detox treatment and recovery centres. Most of all, there needs to be more readily available treatment for those suffering from drug dependency. Long-term programs are needed. Adequate time for detox must be provided to prevent women from spiraling into the cycle again. Both the federal and provincial governments will have to contribute significant operational funding. One recommendation that came up repeatedly was that vacant hospitals and correction facilities (thatthe current and past provincial governments have freed up) could be financed and put to good use as detox centres.

3. Services offered on the Downtown EastsideThere needs to be a systematic way of evaluating the agencies and the employees that provide services in the Downtown Eastside, especially those that receive funding from government or are agencies of government. Evaluation should include assessment of the following:

1. relevancy of services offered
2. measured results and outcomes and,
3. forensic audits.

The effectiveness of these service providers should be clearly apparent.

There should also be more services offered away from the DTES, as it is easier for people to succeed away from where their troubles flourished.

4. 1-800-NumbersOver the past 20 years we have seen too many examples of how the process for reporting missing people is seriously flawed. From the victims of Clifford Olsen to the missing women from the Downtown Eastside to the recent case of Wei Amanda Zhao we are faced with the inadequacy of the current system. One of the most important recommendations to come out of the consultation sessions was that a 1-800 number needs to be set up to report missing people. It should provide up to date information on the case as well as what the concerned individuals can do to help in the search. This tip line should be a regional source for police, so that the missing person's loved ones don't have to make a report to individual municipalities. If anything should be taken from Canada's history with serial murderers and rapists, it is that jurisdictional issues need to be put aside for the safety of the public. This would be an excellent first step towards that goal.Other 1-800-numbers were suggested during the consultation process. A toll-free Drug and Alcohol Abuse line, which would allow the caller to access information regarding drugs, alcohol and recovery should be established.

Although there are some bad date sheets in circulation, a toll-free number should be set up for sex-trade workers to report "bad dates". Contrary to what some may think, these women do attempt to look out for each other. By providing them with an easy and anonymous way to report their abusive experiences with "johns" social service agencies can provide other sex trade workers with more accurate and up to date information on dangerous consumers. Police can also use this information when investigating crimes against sex trade workers. It could at least provide them with a starting point much like the current DISC (Deter and Identify Sex-Trade Consumers) program. And as with the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Line the information collected from the "Bad Date" line could beassessed in order to provide social service agencies and police forces with a better understanding of what they are dealing with.

5. Education/ Access to FacilitiesEducation needs to be addressed on two different levels: in schools and on the streets. We need to start educating our young at an early age. We are no longer in an era where we argue over whether or not we teach sex education in our schools. We live in a time where children need to be taught not only about sex, but also about drugs, health, and the dangers of the streets. One mother said, "The young people of British Columbia are not being properly informed." We need children to understand the facts before they make that one wrong decision that leads to a life of pain for them and their loved ones. It is widely acknowledged that children today face more choices and challenges than any generation that has come before; we need to provide them with all the facts so that they can make educated and informed decisions. As for those who have already fallen prey to life on the streets, we need to provide them with all the resources they need to escape. Programs should focus on basics, such as life skills and socialization skills. Programs should also focus on issues such as low self-esteem and being the victim of abuse, because without dealing with core issues, all other resources act only as band-aids. One very simple recommendation that came from the consultation sessions is that people on welfare should receive bus passes so that they can access the recovery services that are made available to them.

CONCLUSION:
These are the words of the families of the missing women who chose to participate. The families of the missing women have taken things into their own hands; it is time that different levels of government follow suit. Many of the above recommendations could be easily implemented with little cost to the various levels of government. If anything at all should come from this experience, it is the need to work together. This need includes different levels of government, different police jurisdictions, different social classes and different races. None of these differences should take precedence over the welfare of any human being. Almost all sex-trade workers enter the trade as juveniles. Support is required for targeted interventions for youth who are pulled into the trade. Political will is needed to insist on prosecution for men who buy children.

One final note, although this report is not about the ongoing police investigation at the Port Coquitlam pig farm, but about changes to a current system, our research reached beyond own province. It is recommended that all concerned take into serious consideration the recommendations from the Paul Bernardo Report (see Appendix B). Jurisdictional issues have been the plague of serial rape and murder investigations for too long. These issues need to be resolved before it happens again.

There is the need to collect any positive ideas and suggestions from those agencies and groups that deal with sex trade workers. There is the need for governments to take these words seriously and show their will to lead change.

This is a report about a tragedy of immense proportions but it is also a report about hope. The hope is that "a step" forward will be taken and change will prevail.

 

LINK TO APPENDICES A-B
Note from Clerk: Appendix C is not available in electronic form - on file in the Office of the City Clerk.

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RESOURCES:
Individual interviews with sex trade workers.
Missing Women's Legacy Society
Vancouver Police Native Liaison Society
Children of the Street
WISH (Wish Drop-in Centre)
Olive Olajide: article (Appendix C)
Edna Brass: documentary
Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADM's) Committee on Prostitution and the
Sexual Exploitation of Youth
Prostitution Offender Program (POP)
DISC (Deter and Identify Sex-Trade Consumers), Vancouver Police Department

Examples of Web Sites:

www.missingpeople.net

http://www.orcagirl.com/missingwomen

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vancouvermissing

http://www.vanishedvoices.com

http://www.missingwomenslegacy.ca

http://www.findfran.com

 

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