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VICTORIA – Some of the most vulnerable women working in the sex trade in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) will continue to receive services through the Mobile Access Project (MAP), thanks to $190,000 from the Province. The funding was announced today by Ida Chong, Minister of Community Services and Minister responsible for Seniors’ and Women’s Issues.
“This funding augments the strong system of supports the Province provides
for women in Vancouver’s inner city, including access to services for mental
health, transition houses, harm reduction and addiction treatment services,
housing supports, victim services, education and training,” said Chong. “Women
in the sex trade are often at a higher risk of violence, and this funding
supports continuation of this important service as we mark Prevention of
Violence Against Women Week.”
MAP operates as a clinic on wheels
offering harm reduction services including condoms and clean needles,
referrals, support and the latest ‘bad date’ sheet, which warns of violent
customers. It is a partnership between the Women’s Information Safe Haven
(WISH) Drop-In Centre Society and the Prostitution Alternatives Counselling and
Education Society (PACE).
“We are committed to ensuring our
streets are safe for everyone and to helping stop violence against women,” said John van
Dongen, Minister of
Public Safety and Solicitor General.
“This unique service has been evaluated and proven to provide a measure
of safety for women in the sex trade working in this area of Vancouver by
providing a visible presence of where they can turn to for support.”
MAP was developed in 2004 as a three-year pilot project to train and
employ former sex workers to deliver services to women working in the
street-level sex trade and to address violence against women sex workers in the
DTES. Funding for the pilot came from the
Ministry of Community Services, Status of Women Canada, Western Economic
Diversification, Health Canada and the City of Vancouver. This new funding
comes from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, the Ministry of
Employment and Income Assistance and the Ministry of Community Services to
continue the work started with the pilot project.
“We know that the MAP van is a much-needed
resource for survival sex trade workers,” said Kate Gibson, executive director
of WISH Drop-in Centre Society. “The number of contacts with women has
increased from 500 in the van’s first month to over 1,150 per month in
2008. In an evaluation of MAP services, 90 per cent of respondents
said the van made them feel safer and a full 26 per cent of sex trade
workers said the van’s presence prevented them from being physically or
sexually assaulted, so we know that the van is helping to keep women
safe.”
“MAP complements the success the Vancouver community has enjoyed with
our ministry’s Bridging Employment Program,” said Claude Richmond, Minister of
Employment and Income Assistance. “These programs are proving effective in
helping abused women and sex trade workers move forward toward employment,
self-reliance and a brighter future.”
The WISH Drop-In
Centre Society also received a $100,000 major capital project grant last month
to renovate the facility and construct a new wing for its drop-in centre, as
well as a $71,000 community gaming grant in January of this year, both from the
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
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contact: |
Ministry of Community Services 250 387-4089 |
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