“I won”: a sex worker left the industry and denounced her pimp

After years of hell, Cindy freed herself from the influence of her pimp to drag him before the courts, where he received five years in the penitentiary. “I won,” sums up the one for whom the legal process was saving.

“I was no longer the little victim who whined in the corner, who was obsessed with him. No. I was another woman. I went there with my head held high. I was proud of myself for confronting him,” she says.

It took years before Cindy denounced the man she considered her spouse. At 17, the young woman fell in love with this man who sold her “the dream”.

One thing led to another and her “boyfriend” led her to commit small frauds. This would allow them to quickly have a house and a car, he told her.

But her lover was arrested and Cindy found herself alone. She began to fear for her safety and that of her family, because the couple had to pay a debt. Without recourse, she launched into the sex industry, as an erotic dancer.

“We were a team. And I, in my head, I was in love. So I wasn't doing it for him, I was doing it for us. To pay the debt,” she relates.

Cindy remains in the community, even when her boyfriend gets out of prison. Money comes in quickly, but goes out just as quickly, in particular because of its consumption. Violence sets in within the couple. So much so that following a particularly virulent attack on the part of her partner, the young woman, who feared for her life, fled to work in another city.

There, she experienced a real descent into hell, particularly marked by excessive consumption. After a few weeks, she found refuge with her mother, where her reconstruction began. Until she came to file a complaint. For her, yes. But above all to protect the next girl who crosses paths with her ex.

“He would have ended up beating his next blonde, whether it was the girl who worked for him or his real girlfriend. He would have ended up killing one,” she pleads.

Take back your power

Cindy remembers the three days of trial. The legal process has not always been easy. But she felt strong and in full possession of her means.

“I took my power back. And that feeling of having won against your tormentor is the best feeling. When you hear “Guilty”. Wow!”, she concludes.

The young woman can now move forward and breathe again. She studied and now works in the health field, in addition to accompanying and supporting sexually exploited people.

Not “a queen”

For those who are tempted to enter the industry, Cindy warns them.

“When we enter the world of prostitution, our esteem skyrockets. We really think we're a queen. But we destroy ourselves quite quickly,” she puts things into perspective.

The importance of prevention

Prevention is the key to fighting sexual exploitation, agree the experts, who offer training on the phenomenon from the sixth year of primary school.

“The phenomenon of wanting to make easy money is always going to be there. The lure of easy profit will always be there. We must continue to talk to our young people and our adults,” says Frédéric Martineau, commander of the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM).

At the Prostitution Intervention Quebec Project, preventionist Marie-Manuelle Moya-Rousseau meets students, particularly in police techniques, to debunk the myths linked to prostitution and better understand the phenomenon.

To date, the Integrated Anti-Pimping Squad (EILP) team has trained some 12,000 people, partners such as doctors, teachers and psychologists, among others.

“We must continue not to trivialize sexual exploitation. We must continue to understand that sexuality cannot be traded. I hope that one day it will decrease. It will decrease. But we must continue with prevention,” says Commander Martineau.

Tips for parents

Experts all give the same advice to parents who suspect or discover that their child has entered the sex industry: keep in touch.

“Keep in touch with your children, stay connected, stay in their lives […] Even if it is minimal, it is this link which, at some point, will ensure that we will be able to bring the person back to their family,” says Inspector Marie-Manon Savard, of the Police Department of the City of Quebec.

And upstream, it is important that parents and loved ones remain vigilant.

“Take an interest in who they hang out with, who they see on social networks, what their lifestyle habits are on social networks, it’s very important,” she adds.

Warning signs

Various signs can suggest that a young person is falling into the sex industry and being a victim of sexual exploitation.

This list presents various signs to watch out for, according to the various experts interviewed for the purposes of this report. These warning signs are not exhaustive and, taken in isolation, may indicate something other than sexual exploitation.

• A change of attitude in the young person, a drop in self-esteem.
• A young person who withdraws isolates himself more in his room.
• Do not answer the phone in front of parents.
• Having a new entourage, new friends that we don't bring home.
• A drop in academic results, unjustified absences from school
• Repeated absences from home, less transparency on comings and goings
• A change in clothing style, appearance (false nails, false eyelashes, makeup, etc.)
• An attraction for money, luxury.
• A change in language.