FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Taking a cross-Canada look at experiences of people who pay for sexual services
July 10, 2013
For the last several months, we have been hearing from people across Canada about their experiences of purchasing sexual services as part of our national study, Sex, Safety & Security. Starting on July 15th, we will be taking our research on the road and visiting different Canadian cities – St. John’s, Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo and Montreal.
We are looking to connect with different communities across Canada and to hear from individuals about their experiences. We know that not all persons who pay for sexual services are able-bodied, white, male, and looking for heterosexual encounters – in this project we are hoping to hear from individuals from a wide variety of perspectives and experiences. This is particularly important given that the perspectives and experiences of individuals who have paid for sexual services seem to be rarely considered and sought out. Instead, the commonly found stories about clients tend to rely on assumptions and stereotypes which often assume that clients as a group are somehow different from the rest of the society in who they are and what they are looking for.
Sex, Safety & Security is being led by University of Victoria researcher Chris Atchison, who has been speaking with clients of sex workers about their experiences for 18 years. This project is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is one of several projects currently taking place with the aim of better understanding various aspects of health and safety in the Canadian sex industry from several different vantage points. Chris’ work includes “Johns’ Voice,” the largest and the most successful research with sex buyers in Canada to date. In addition to presenting and publishing the research findings in various academic conferences and publications, Chris’ research has been presented to an array of task forces, committees and working groups as well as community and support service organizations (including those led by and for sex workers) and it has been used to inform policies and procedures designed to enhance the health and safety of people involved in Canada’s sex industry.
Please contact us if you have any questions, or visit our websites for information about our current (http://www.sexsafetysecurity.ca/) and past research (http://www.johnsvoice.ca/). We believe in the importance of all voices in Canada’s sex industry to be heard in order to understand it better, and we much appreciate your interest in this study.
CONTACT:
Chris Atchison
Tel: 604.558.0489
Email: info@sexsafetysecurity.ca
Department of Sociology
University of Victoria
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2
