Follow this link for the full report;

Protection_for_All_Final_BD report Aug07

Foreword

The BC Coalition of Experiential Women and Communities (BCCEC) received funds to undertake the Confronting Bad Dates project which encompasses Research, Community Collaboration and Action to Reduce Violence against Survival Sex Workers. In this project we have explored formal and informal bad date reporting mechanisms utilized by four stakeholder groups: sex workers, community organizations, victim services and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). This final report will be used as a tool for sustainability in actions chosen by stakeholders. Through the Confronting Bad Dates project, the (BCCEC) pooled the knowledge and experiences of all four stakeholder groups explored what works while increasing the awareness of violence against sex workers and supporting stakeholders to develop new strategies to address this violence. The recommendations from this document paired with outcomes from the strategy meetings and practices from other sex worker initiatives have supported the testing and customization of the bad date sheet and our exploration of a 1-800 line for reporting violence.

Acknowledgments

The BCCEC would like to thank the 42 sex workers and the 17 community organizations, VPD officers and victim’s services staff who gave their time, energy and insights for the research component. Would also like to thank the 53 sex workers and community organization staff members who took part in the evaluation of the new violence sheet for sex workers entitled: “Red Light Alert”. Special thanks to Kate Gibson Executive Director of WISH Drop In Center Society and Natalie who worked tirelessly on the new format and continues to document the violence against sex workers. We appreciate your emotional strength. We would like to thank the Vancouver Agreements’ former Women’s Strategy Task Team for making this and many other projects possible and for their investment in anti-violence issues among women. Additionally, we would like to thank sex workers Sheri K., Beverly R. and Kelly W. for their contributions to this project.