We've done a number of “first voice” consultations and engagements with individuals across the province of all ages and backgrounds who have been sex trade-engaged. We don't require anyone to identify their experiences as being a victim or a survivor or even a sex worker. We're fairly inclusive in terms of how we consult and who we consult with. While we never want to conflate sex work and trafficking, we also recognize that there are intersections between exploitation and trafficking and the sex trade generally.
Some of those projects have included our 2020 Hearing Them survey, which was the first kick at the can of talking to survivors. We talked to 95 survivors across Nova Scotia. About 70% of those were from urban communities and about 30% were from rural communities. From their responses, we actually made some changes to our policies and on how we move forward. We asked them well over 100 questions—basic demographic information, what was going on in their lives, how old they were when they first engaged in the sex trade, whether or not they were still engaged in the sex trade—and then really focused around services and supports.
One thing that really came out from that 2020 survey, which I think is important to note here, is that it is true that people often come into the sex trade as youth and as being influenced or being trafficked in that Criminal Code sense of the word. However, once they move on and they're entrenched in the sex trade, without having any additional resources or educational opportunities to make a career change, they stay engaged. Many of the people who identify as being adult sex workers in Nova Scotia are both adult independent sex workers and former victims of exploitation and trafficking. We hold that very closely. We try to make sure that we are survivor-informed in our practice and in the policies we put forward.
Really, what everyone tells us is that there are two basic things they want. They want non-judgmental services, which means we have to remove some of the values we might have about the buying and selling of sex to reduce the stigmatization of their experiences. They also really need harm reduction services. They have basic needs. They need housing, they need food, they need income and they need transportation, particularly if they're in rural communities. They need a whole host of things. Often that means that as service providers, we have to set aside the personal or individual values we have on the buying and selling of sex.