Mother of sex worker violently assaulted in Hamilton says daughter has 'long road to recovery'

It will be a "long road to recovery" for the woman who was assaulted in an alleyway off Barton Street in Hamilton, according to the woman's mother. 

Her mother spoke publicly for the first time at a vigil held for her daughter Friday evening in Hamilton, organized by Sex Workers' Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton. The neighbourhood was filled with people wearing red clothing in honour of the 46-year-old victim, who suffered a violent sexual assault in the early hours of June 27. 

"I am the mother of a victim who was raped here in this alleyway, and beaten severely," said the mother, who has withheld her and her daughter's names out of concerns over safety and stigma. 

She said her daughter had nine bones in her face broken, including her jaw and nose. She has suffered three "brain bleeds." The woman is awake, but she cannot walk, move her arms or speak more than a few words, the mother said. 

Once she is able to leave the hospital, she will need to enter a rehabilitation centre to relearn how to walk.

"Sex workers are human beings," the mother said to a loud round of cheers from the many supporters who filled the alleyway where her daughter was attacked. The woman worked as a sex worker in the Hamilton area and SWAP executive director Jelena Vermillion previously told CBC Hamilton she had accessed the organization's services in the past. 

Police arrested a 24-year-old male from Hamilton on June 29 and charged him with aggravated sexual assault after what they called a "brutal attack" and "senseless beating." 

Police told CBC Hamilton Monday that the man remained in custody, and that "immigration has put a hold on him." Police said he is a Nigerian citizen. 

Vermillion told CBC Hamilton she was told the man charged has a wife and three-year-old son in Hamilton. 

"This three-year-old child will be without a father… because stigma made him feel that it was acceptable to commit violence against a sex worker," Vermillion said.

"Violence is fuelled in part because perpetrators see sex workers as less. Less valuable, less human and less legally protected," Vermillion said. 

Criminalization of sex work puts workers in a vulnerable position, she said, speaking to the crowd about a fraught history between sex workers and the police.

"Standing together can shelter us from violence. The law forces us to work alone," she added.

'This community understands why this is so important'

Two detectives working on the woman's case made an appearance at the vigil, saying they wanted to show her mother support. They were asked to leave by some attending the vigil out of respect for the impact policing has had on sex workers, according to Vermillion. 

Vermillion told CBC Hamilton that area around Barton Street East, where both the attack took place and SWAP now has a physical location, is significant to Hamilton's sex work trade. Vermillion referred to the area between Emerald and Lottridge streets as "the stroll."

Following the vigil, supporters marched down Barton. Some of sex workers who work in the area joined the group at the front and were able to use a megaphone to speak about concerns over their safety and lack of attention on the issue. 

"It's really a testament to who this is for," Vermillion said, referring to the fact that many vulnerable sex workers operate in that part of Ward 3.

"This community, and Ward 3 specifically, understands why this is so important."

Vermillion also spoke directly to the mother, saying: "We are here for you. The violence your daughter faced is never acceptable, regardless of the job she does."