News

NEWS

May 14, 2009

Calgary: A report delving into the world of male prostitution and exploitation across Western Canada was officially released today. The report is titled: Under the Radar: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Men – Western Canadian Edition. This cumulative report includes all of the findings from study data collected from interviews conducted in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. “It may be shocking for people to hear that there are young men who are working in the sex trade,” said Dr. Sue McIntyre, the report’s author. “Men tend to stay and work longer in the trade than woman and most of our respondents were aboriginal boys and men catering to a customer base that is mostly middle to upper-class white men.”

Dr. Sue McIntyre previously released separate studies for Alberta in 2005, British Columbia in 2006, and Saskatchewan and Manitoba in 2008. The cumulative report released today compiles the findings from those four studies, and summarizes and compares similarities and differences amongst each of the Western provinces. The research also identifies the types of supports required by this unique population that lives “under the radar”. “This population is very transient, so for us to continue to gather statistics and stories can help co-ordinate national services and plans to provide help and meet needs.” McIntyre said. “It is the intention that this report will enable service providers to be better equipped to assist young men with specialized support services in order to help them live safe, healthy, meaningful lives.”

The report will be made available to the community, non-profit sector and the provincial government in each of the western provinces with the hope that future programs and services will be tailored to meet the needs of these young men. “Right now, services are more geared toward helping women involved in prostitution. Boys and men have different needs and focuses when trying to leave the trade,” explained McIntyre. “This report gave the men working in the trade a voice and they have put forward ideas as to how programs can be more inclusive for them.” To download the report click here.

December 10, 2008

Winnipeg: A report delving into the world of male prostitution and exploitation in Manitoba was released at a special news conference today. The report is titled: Under the Radar: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Men - Manitoba Edition. Study data for the report was collected from interviews conducted in Winnipeg between April 2006 and December 2006. To download Full Report click here. To download Executive Summary click here.

December 1, 2008

Regina: A report delving into the world of male prostitution and exploitation in Saskatchewan was released at a special news conference today. The report is titled: Under the Radar: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Men - Saskatchewan Edition. Study data for the report was collected from interviews conducted in Saskatoon and Regina between April 2006 and December 2006. To download Full Report click here. To download Executive Summary click here.

September 16, 2008

Calgary: Calgary homeless agencies released findings of the Voices from the Street report completed by The Hindsight Group. The research project involved a point in time count of individuals ‘sleeping rough’ on Calgary’s streets on the night of May 14, 2008. The street count, a non-definitive enumeration of the population who sleeps without shelter in Calgary, provides a snapshot of some of the realities and experiences of homeless individuals sleeping outside on the night of the survey. “We wanted to obtain qualitative information from the street population, not only to enumerate the people on the street, but rather, to hear from them about their beliefs, their experiences,” says Linda McLean, Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre Society. “Along with giving those sleeping outside a voice, we wanted to also provide a venue for those who work at street level with this population and the volunteers who participated in the street count to be heard.” Together with the numbers generated from the street count, the report offers multiple perspectives on the realities of absolute homelessness in Calgary.

The 2008 Voices from the Street Project utilized thirty-three teams of two to six volunteer researchers, which included staff from support agencies, EMS workers, members of the general public, and clients of homeless agencies. Between 9:00 PM to midnight on May 14, 117 volunteers fanned out across the city to conduct the survey equipped with an assigned zone map, questionnaires, and a bag of essentials to give to survey respondents. “The teams also collected anecdotal comments from respondents on the night of the count which were combined with comments received through focus group interviews of individuals who had a history of sleeping on the street,” says McLean. “These comments give a clear and sobering picture of why some people choose to sleep rough”. The 2008 Voices from the Street Project Committee consisted of representatives from The Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre, Alpha House, the Mustard Seed, The Salvation Army, CUPS and the Calgary Homeless Foundation.

November 24, 2006

Vancouver : A new study will help the BC and federal governments and their partners improve services for sexually exploited young men in the province. Under the Radar: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Men – British Columbia Edition, completed by Dr. Susan McIntyre, reveals the world of male prostitution and provides insight into the often unnoticed sexual exploitation of these young men.

The study found that males enter the trade younger and stay longer than young women, and that 78% had a history prior to the street of being sexually violated. Recommendations include that the public acknowledge both young women and men are at risk of sexual exploitation, and that service providers be provided with gender non-conformity training. “This study fills a large information gap that existed,” says Dr. Susan McIntyre. “I hope that the findings and recommendations from this study raise awareness of this often ignored segment of society and lead to new ways for communities to provide support and assistance.”

Spearheaded by the Federal Government’s National Crime Prevention Centre, The Government of British Columbia and anonymous donors, the British Columbia study is the second of its kind to be completed in Canada. Dr. Susan McIntyre completed the same research in Alberta in 2005 and is in the initial stages of similar research in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. “When I completed a study called Strolling Away a few years ago, it became very clear that society traditionally looked at the sexual exploitation trade through a female lens,” said Dr. McIntyre. “Under the Radar shows that sexual exploitation among young male children is a striking reality and it’s time to correct and clarify misconceptions regarding this issue.” To download the Backgrounder click here. To download the Full Report click here. To download the Executive Summary click here.

June 22, 2005

Edmonton: A new study will help the Alberta government and community agencies improve services for sexually exploited young men in Alberta. Under the Radar: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Men, completed by Dr. Susan McIntyre and jointly released with Alberta Children’s Services, reveals the world of male prostitution and provides insight into the often-unnoticed sexual exploitation of these young men.

The study found that males enter the trade younger and stay longer than young women, and that close to 70 per cent had a history of being sexually violated prior to the street. Recommendations include that the public acknowledge both young women and men are at risk of sexual exploitation, and that service providers be provided with training to better support this vulnerable group. “This study fills an information gap that existed out there,” said Alberta Children’s Services Minister Heather Forsyth. “Children’s Services will take immediate action and integrate the recommendations into our previously planned training and public education strategies.”

The report will also be shared and discussed with all service providers during Children’s Services’ symposium on the protection of children involved in prostitution later this fall. As well, the findings will be shared with researchers from around the world during the upcoming World Conference on Family Violence in October 2005 in Banff, Alberta.

The Alberta study is the first of its kind to be completed in Canada. Dr. Susan McIntyre has her PhD and masters in socio legal studies, as well as undergrad degrees in both social work and criminology. Dr. McIntyre is currently completing the same research in British Columbia and is pursuing support for similar research in other provinces. “When I completed a study called Strolling Away a few years ago, it became very clear that society traditionally looked at the sexual exploitation trade through a female lens,” said Dr. McIntyre. “I hope that the findings and recommendations from this new study raise awareness of this often ignored segment of society and lead to new ways for communities to help sexually exploited young men.” The study was supported through $60,000 from Alberta Children’s Services. An anonymous donor also provided $60,000 and the Calgary Health Region provided $10,000. To view a copy of Under the Radar: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Men, please visit the Children’s Services website: www.child.gov.ab.ca/undertheradar or the Hindsight Group Ltd.’s website: www.hindsightgroup.com under “News”. The full report can be downloaded here.

December 3, 2002

CALGARY: After several months of research and analysis, Dr. Sue McIntyre unveiled her long awaited retrospective research report titled Strolling Away© at a news conference. Key recommendations include: initiating a national research study on males to determine why they face different challenges than females in the trade, developing education programs to increase awareness of the fact that prostitution is a form of sexual abuse and increasing the level of understanding and compassion amongst peers, parents and caregivers. Dr. McIntrye also calls for the establishment of support groups to help youth exit the trade and transition them off the street into mainstream living. The full report can be downloaded in either English or French.