Montreal police unit works to break prostitution's culture of silence
Survivors program links former prostitutes with current victims of sexual exploitation
In the past five years, Montreal police have helped almost 200 victims of sexual exploitation leave that life behind with the help of a program called "The Survivors."
The program was developed with the help of former prostitutes.
There are now 10 former victims of sexual exploitation helping police understand what goes on in that world and helping them support women who want to leave it.
"This program lets us pair a victim with a survivor that can help them when they decide to leave that life behind.'- Nunzio Tramontozzi
Montreal police inspectors Josée Mensales and Diane Veillette have dedicated their careers to fighting prostitution and work within The Survivors program.
"We had victims who passed through the entire legal system and wanted to help other women," Veillette told Radio-Canada.
"We really created this program to give a voice to these women."
Veillette added that former victims of sexual exploitation have become the best resource for police working to understand what leads a person into that life — and how to help them get out of it.
"We trained officers to perform better in interventions, better detection. Because of that, the number of complaints have quadrupled," Veillette said.
Trapped by fear
"A lot of victims aren't ready, or don't want to turn to the justice system," Mensales said.
"But that doesn't mean that they accept being abused or that they don't need help."
According to police, eight prostitutes out of 10 are stuck because they owe a lot of money to their pimp. And in Montreal, 75 per cent of victims being helped by The Survivors program are minors.
She spoke with CBC's French-language station Radio-Canada on the condition of anonymity and asked to be called Cindy.
She said she thought her pimp was her boyfriend and had been working as a prostitute since she was 17 years old.
"My ex was extremely violent. At one point, it was one beating too many. I woke up and said 'enough,'" Cindy told Radio-Canada.
Now, Cindy helps The Survivors by acting as a mentor to women leaving prostitution.
She is often called to help young victims and says parents are essential to making sure a girl doesn't end up in that world.
"Parents these days, they work a lot and have less time for their kids," Cindy said. "We put aside subjects like love and sexuality."
Saving victims from isolation
The Survivors program isn't meant to be a path leading directly to criminal charges — Mensales says it's meant to be a way to make contact with victims and pull them out of their isolation.
Pimps will isolate their victims by threatening them and their families if they ever go to the police. But according to Mensales, the pimps rarely follow through on these threats.
"When a victim of sexual exploitation breaks their silence and isolation, brought on by their pimp, they take on the power position," Mensales said. "The pimp's threats are rarely carried out."
Veillette said silence and secrecy still dominate the world of sexual exploitation and limits police's ability to better understand how to help those who are being abused.
Mensales said she seeks to offer young women hope that there is a way out for them.
"We work daily with people who got out," Mensales said.
"Some have gotten themselves into a professional sphere, or found a happy domestic life."
Other police forces catching on
Nunzio Tramontozzi, detective sergeant in the sex crimes human trafficking enforcement team in Toronto, wanted to use Montreal's model to help young victims out of prostitution.
"The legal process can take up to two-and-a-half years from when a victim files a complaint," Tramontozzi said.
"This program lets us pair a victim with a survivor that can help them when they decide to leave that life behind."
with files from Radio-Canada's Pascal Robidas