Given its clandestine nature, sexual exploitation is difficult to study. Official figures provided by police services fail to tell the whole story and underestimate the full extent of the phenomenon. That being said, there is no doubt that this issue is uppermost in the minds of all concerned. The various players working with young people are becoming better equipped to detect situations of sexual exploitation among those who are particularly vulnerable, i.e. children and teenagers.
The Pile ou face project is the result of an in-depth needs analysis on the prevention of sexual exploitation launched in 2021 in collaboration with our Research Chair. This study identified key prevention concepts based on scientific literature and several interviews with 15 professionals working with at-risk youth as well as 7 young survivors. It also helped pinpoint the challenges and conditions for success toward the project’s implementation and evaluation.
| Three key offence categories are associated with sexual exploitation: procuring and human trafficking, commodification of sexual services, as well as child pornography and the publication of intimate photos of minors. The proportion of underage victims varies by type of offence.
The data collected by law enforcement authorities in Québec with respect to pimping and human trafficking helped establish that in 2020, more than a third (36.4%) of all victims were under 18 years of age when the crime was committed [1](in French only). |
Launched in the summer of 2023, Pile ou face proactively serves the specific needs of teens aged 12 to 17, namely those particularly at risk of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The pilot project developed by Marie-Vincent aims to expand the teenagers’ knowledge and provide professionals with better support in order to foster self-empowerment among at-risk youth. It consists of six workshops developed by Marie-Vincent covering various issues such as self-esteem, self-awareness and self-affirmation, healthy and egalitarian relationships, as well as recruitment scenarios and how to guard against them. Several tools were created to support these workshops including a facilitator’s guide, two training modules, a logbook, a short film, as well as a myths and realities card game.
Learn more about Pile ou face (in French only)
Learn more about the Myth or Reality game
On February 1st, we took great pride in completing the project’s implementation at L’Auberge du Coeur Le Baluchon, an independent community organization in Saint-Hyacinthe that welcomes young people, aged 12 to 23, who are dealing with difficult circumstances. We had the privilege of working in partnership with this warm and welcoming community and are grateful for the team’s mobilization and involvement. Focused on the well-being of these young people, they followed both training modules with great interest and successfully conducted all six workshops with their young participants.
“Even though I thought I already knew a lot about sexual exploitation, I’ve learned a great deal. I like that we didn’t just talk about sexual exploitation, and that we talked about other things that affect us like healthy/unhealthy relationships, risky situations, how to protect ourselves, etc.”
– a young participant.“As community workers, we really enjoyed taking part in the Pile ou face pilot project. We liked the way the project is built: having a discussion with the kids about themes that resonate with them and, gradually, raising the subject of sexual exploitation. The different themes discussed (self-esteem and self-affirmation, healthy/unhealthy relationships, signs to watch out for, etc.) allowed us to strike up useful and rewarding conversations with our group’s young participants. We were fortunate to be able to test the project and adapt it to the particular circumstances of the kids who joined us in this new experience. This project is really very well designed and, more importantly, a much-needed tool to help prevent sexual exploitation.”
– Ariane and Judee, community workers at Le Baluchon and moderators of the Pile ou face project.
The successful implementation of the Pile ou face project at L’Auberge du Cœur Le Baluchon serves as an eloquent reminder that preventing sexual exploitation is much more than a goal, it is a collective duty to build a community that protects our children.
By combining our forces, we can better prevent sexual exploitation and firm up our resilience to this issue.
[1]Briser le cycle de l’exploitation sexuelle. Plan d’action gouvernemental 2021-2026 en réponse aux recommandations de la Commission spéciale sur l’exploitation sexuelle des mineurs, p. 9
