Peace and Environment News* November 1998
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Peace and Environment News * November 1998 |
by Sharon Boddy
 Volunteers doing community policing. Photo: Clint Eastop, OCRPS. |
The perception of prostitution has long been one-sided—get the sex trade workers off the street and the problem is solved. In Hintonburg, a west-end Ottawa neighbourhood, however, they looked at the other side of the problem: the johns.
"I always wondered why they only arrested the women," said Peggy Kampouris, a long-time Hintonburg resident, and a member of the Hintonburg Community Association (HCA). Sex trade workers, after being arrested, have to work to pay off the fine and so the cycle is perpetuated, she explained.
By the mid-1990's, prostitution was becoming more noticeable in Hintonburg. "On any given night you would see [sex trade workers] walking the street. The businesses were getting upset, but there were other side effects," said Kampouris. "It wasn't unusual for a woman standing at a bus stop in a business suit and a briefcase to be approached [by a john]. People didn't feel safe and they started suspecting everybody else."
Even though those issues were enough to motivate the HCA to look into ways to combat the problem, a solution presented itself purely by chance. "In June 1995 I was listening to CBC Radio and Ian Brown was doing a story on the San Francisco John School," said Kampouris. "I was so impressed that I bought the transcript and brought it to the next HCA meeting." Encouraged by the response, she presented the idea again that November, at a meeting of the Ottawa-Carleton Prostitution Working Group. The response was immediate. "The Chief Crown Attorney's office, and Knowlton Roberts, who was our new inspector at the time, agreed to meet with the HCA and work with us on a pilot program."
Just four months later, in April of 1996, the Hintonburg community and the Regional Police Services, together with other partners, had established the Ottawa John School.
How the program works
To qualify to attend the school, a john must be over 18 years of age, a first-time offender with no criminal record, and must show remorse for his behaviour. Through a Regional Police Services' program called "pre-charge diversion," if the john attends the one-day program, no charges are laid against him.
The Salvation Army administers the program. The fee is $200 and subsidies are available for those who cannot afford it. Generally speaking, the program is run once a month, but more often as needed. "It's supply and demand," said Officer Terry Welsh of the District 2 Community Police Centre. "We'll do two classes a month if needed."
The curriculum involves a variety of presentations. First, a representative from the Crown Attorney's office speaks about the law and the consequences of the john's actions. The Regional Health Department then talks about the health risks associated with prostitution. "It's quite graphic," said Kampouris, "and talks about sexually transmitted diseases and what [the johns] are putting themselves and their families through." A former sex trade worker tells her story of what life is like on the street, and addresses some of the dangers that sex trade workers face, including drug dependency.
Officer Welsh makes the presentation on behalf of the Regional Police. "Basically, from our perspective, [the johns] tend to make work for us," he said. "If they become involved in criminal activity [because of prostitution], they're generally victims. If there's violence, they tend to cover up why they were on the street and what they were doing." A representative from the forensic psychiatry unit of The Royal Ottawa Hospital who specializes in sexual problem behaviour also makes a presentation. The hospital offers the johns quick access to programs that assist those with potentially dangerous behaviour.
Representatives from various communities then have an opportunity to speak. Kampouris asks direct questions of the johns so that the program is more interactive. "I don't want to just wag my finger at them," she said. "I discuss the initiatives that neighbours have taken in our community, such as taking down descriptions of the johns and license plate numbers of the cars." To illustrate his point, Vance Fandry, also of the HCA, passes out bags filled with used intravenous needles and condoms that he has found in his own neighbourhood. (At the HCA Annual General Meeting in September, members reported finding over 1,000 used needles in their community.)
One presentation in particular, however, seems to affect the johns more than any other. "There's a woman whose marriage was destroyed by her husband going to a prostitute. He brought home a disease and she contracted it," Kampouris said. "By the end of her presentation, some of the men are in tears." Officer Welsh concurred. "It's very emotional, and these people can connect the dots and connect [her story] to the people in their lives." (The evaluation of the pilot program reported that almost half, 43 percent, of the johns who attended the school are married. No women "johns" have participated in the program to date.)
When the program begins, Kampouris reported, "most of the johns don't have a clue about what [they are] doing to the neighbourhood. Some are defiant, others embarrassed, but most are eager to participate."
At the end, the johns are asked to fill out a survey, evaluating the program. "It's hard to evaluate [its] success," admitted Kampouris, but both she and Officer Welsh noted that no one who has been through the program has been arrested since. "One even apologized to me," she said, surprised. "Others just don't realize the effects of their behaviour."
Evaluation
The program may be difficult to evaluate, but its effects on the community are easy to spot. "In Hintonburg it gives them ownership," said Officer Welsh. "The community is able to speak their minds to the johns who are causing them grief....that tends to make people feel that they can resolve some of the problems."
"At the start of all this, the attitude of the community to the police was 'What are you going to do about it?'," Kampouris said. "In Hintonburg, it's rarer to find someone who says that now. We are much more likely to try things on our own, from a grassroots level, and it really brought the community together."
"It's an alternative," said Welsh, "[the school] is a tool that we can use when dealing with the sex trade on the street. It's a way of helping out communities that have pockets of sex trade workers, so it is effective in areas like Hintonburg."
To continue the work started by the John School, the HCA hands out "Sex Trade Activity Report" (STAR) cards to members of the community. Anyone who sees suspicious activity taking place is asked to take down the license plate number, the make and model of the car, and a physical description of the john and the sex trade worker. The STAR cards are then dropped at the Hintonburg Community Centre where the local police officer picks them up. The Youth Services Bureau also hands out "Bad Date Lists" to sex trade workers that list violent incidents involving johns. The lists offer sex trade workers vital information that can help them avoid potentially dangerous clients.
Long term solutions
The John School is just one part of the solution. "The police have been very supportive of the program, but more education for youth—both sexes—is needed. Plus, a public relations campaign to bring it out in the open," said Kampouris.
The Ottawa-Carleton Prostitution Working Group is also considering diversion programs for sex trade workers. These are much more difficult than for johns as many sex trade workers are drug or alcohol dependent. "You have to appreciate that the worker may have a dependency, so you have to address that before you can put them into some program," said Welsh.
A safe house for sex trade workers called Sophie's Hope is a start. Named for a former sex trade worker who was addicted to drugs, and who subsequently died of AIDS, Sophie's Hope is a safe place where sex trade workers can receive addiction counseling, and learn how to break the prostitution cycle. One volunteer with the home reported that when the police pick up a sex trade worker, they will sometimes take her directly to Sophie's Hope, rather than to the police station to be charged.
The Ottawa John School is one of many across the country. The first school to be established in Canada was in Toronto, but similar schools operate in Hamilton-Wentworth, the Niagara and Waterloo regions, the Golden Horseshoe area around Toronto, and Winnipeg. Halifax is now in the process of setting up their own John School.
Sharon Boddy is a writer living in Ottawa.
Converted July 31, 1999 - Lg
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