Prescott-Russell has a dirty little secret

NOTE: The last names of the women involved in this story have been omitted to protect their identity.

On the surface, Amy, Yvette, Jackey and Stephanie appear to be just like many other young women their age.

All four are between the ages of 18 and 25. They are attractive and enjoy dressing up in the latest fashions, experimenting with make-up and browsing tabloids for juicy gossip on their favourite celebrities. They have high hopes, aspirations and dreams.

But these four women are not like most "ordinary" women in Hawkesbury, or Prescott-Russell for that matter. What makes them so different and unites them in friendship is the fact that all four of them are prostitutes, living and plying their trade in communities around the region.

"If you'd told me five years ago that this is what my life would be like, I would never have believed it," Stephanie told The Review during a recent interview. "Believe me, this wasn't what I hoped and dreamed of becoming when I was younger. Not by a long shot."

Stephanie is 21 and has two children fathered by different men, saying neither of them wants to have anything to do with their children, let alone pay child support.

With no college education, she is limited in finding what little employment opportunities exist in Hawkesbury. She makes some money cleaning houses and does receive government benefits for her children, but said it's not enough to pay the rent, put food on the table and buy the necessities required to take care of her two small children.

"I was so desperate at one point, I felt like a total failure as a mother," she commented. "I managed to pay the rent but there was literally nothing left over for food, diapers or anything. I was flat broke. I'm not close with my family and they refused to help me out. There's only so many times you can ask friends to bail you out before they say enough is enough."

Desperate and uncertain how she was going to feed her two children, Stephanie approached a few male friends and asked if they would consider paying her money for sexual favours.

"I had no idea what else to do," she admitted. "These guys were my friends so I asked. The crazy thing was, they didn't even bat an eye. They said, 'Sure,' like it was no big deal. It was so easy. Needless to say, I made enough to keep my family fed and clothed and here I am today, taking money from men for sex to provide for my family."

Yvette, 19, and Amy, 22, have different reasons for turning to prostitution. Both women do it to support costly drug habits: Amy is addicted to pricey prescription painkillers, while Yvette has a cocaine addiction she describes as being "totally out of control."

"I don't know if most people realize just how easy it is to get drugs here in Hawkesbury," Yvette remarked. "It's everywhere you look. There's someone on every street corner who can either sell it to you or tell you where to go to get it. It's crazy, in such a small town, but it's everywhere."

Amy said she became addicted to prescription painkillers following a car accident that left her severely injured two years ago. Unable to work a "normal" job and attempting to feed her growing addiction led her in the direction of prostitution.

"I'm a party girl and I go to lots of parties here in Hawkesbury and around," she explained. "A lot of times, guys will just come up and proposition you. The first time it happened I was grossed out by it. Then I started thinking it wouldn't be so bad. I can't work at a normal job and my disability doesn't pay enough for the drugs I need. I figured I really didn't have anything to lose."

Yvette said it was her boyfriend who got her involved in drugs and prostitution when she was only 17.

"I know I'm in an abusive relationship, but that's par for the course," she stated. "I've been physically and sexually abused my whole life. My boyfriend started bringing his friends to me and selling me to them for a night for money. He keeps most of the money and gives me enough to survive and get my drugs.

"I hate it, I am ashamed of the situation I'm in, but he supports me and I'm not in the street. It's better than being out in the street."

Jackey is 25 and admits she's been prostituting herself since she was 15 and living on the streets in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is one of many young women is Prescott-Russell who travels between towns and big cities like Ottawa and Montreal servicing men for money.

Like Yvette, she has a "pimp" and he is responsible for telling her where she needs to go, how much to charge and how much his cut will be. What he doesn't take is left over for her to live.

"I grew up around prostitution," Jackey said. "My mom was a prostitute and even though she tried to hide it, I always knew. She'd leave me home with my little sister and wouldn't come back until really late. Or she would go out and come back with different men. My sister and I would have to cover our ears so we didn't hear what was going on.

"We'd be flat busted broke and all of a sudden, after a few nights of going out or bringing guys back home, we'd have money to buy food and what not. I don't know... I guess even though I knew it was wrong, it was all I ever saw. That maybe explains why I'm exactly like my mother today."

Jackey said she doesn't know where her mother or little sister are today.

"If I found out my mother was dead, I don't think I'd be sad," she said coldly. "She contributed to what I am today, and I am really angry at her for not being a better mother to us. As for my sister, I don't know where she is or what she's doing. I pray she's better off than I am. She was always pretty smart."

Amy said she is certain many people will be "very surprised" to learn that prostitution is a concern, an even a problem, in many small towns in Prescott-Russell. She said it is well hidden, but if you ask the right questions, you'll find what you're looking for.

"It's not like in the cities where you see girls hanging out on the street trying to catch a trick in a car," she said. "You won't see that here. It's more hidden away because the towns are so small and word travels fast. We get solicited in bars, at parties or by people who know what we are and pass the word along. I guess you could say we're a dirty little secret and I don't know if people know it's going on, or if they just want to pretend like it's not."

All four women agree they are not proud of being prostitutes, but don't feel they have many other options. They agree that jobs in the region are scarce, poverty levels are high and, as Stephanie pointed out, "desperate times call for desperate measures."

"I know it sounds cliché, but that's exactly what we're all facing," she noted. "Whether you're a drug addict or a single mom trying to feed your kids, it's really, really tough to get by. We all have our own reasons for doing it but I think we all agree we're not proud to say we have sex for money. But right now, I don't know what else to do. I have to feed my kids and put a roof over our heads."

Yvette said she feels the drugs and prostitution have completely destroyed what little self-esteem she had, before getting involved with her "abusive boyfriend."

"I'm only 19, but most days I feel like I'm pushing 50," she admitted. "My boyfriend treats me badly. He hits me, calls me names, you name it. Like I said, abuse is part of my life and obviously, it still is. I think in many ways, I don't really feel like I deserve anything better.

"I never had dreams of being anything great. Mostly, I dreamt about getting away from the people who were hurting me. Today, I dream about surviving and sometimes, I dream about dying so it will all just go away."

Prostitution is a very real concern

According to Jeanne-Françoise Moué, executive director of Centre Novas, an organization dedicated to helping and supporting women who are victims of sexual violence, it would be naïve to think prostitution is not taking place in Prescott-Russell.

"General prostitution is everywhere," she confirmed. "It is in Prescott-Russell although it's not as out in the open as it is in the city. It's more hidden away in this region. I mean, you won't see the girls standing on street corners here."

Moué said Hawkesbury is a "pocket in the region" where it takes place because of the large number of socio-economic issues it faces, including poverty, addiction, mental-health issues, lack of employment and lack of education among the population.

She also highlighted the Village of Casselman, which only has a population of about 3,000, as being an area where it takes place.

"We have some bars here that feature nude dancers," Moué explained. "One thing we see a lot of in this region is girls passing through on their way to the bigger cities. They will stop on their way to Montreal or Ottawa, dance or prostitute to make money, and then move on. I know this because I live in Casselman and many of the women I see dancing in these clubs are not women I see in the community on a regular basis."

She said similarly, some women from the Prescott-Russell region will travel to bigger cities to prostitute themselves.

"We are right in between to major centres so it certainly does happen," she stated. "While there is prostitution going on locally, some of these women are just passing through on their way to somewhere else."

She said women, as well as men, turn to prostitution for a variety of reasons, whether it be to make money to survive or as a result of abuses suffered in the past. Many do it to feed drug and/or alcohol addictions and many have mental health issues.

"Instead of simply pointing the finger and judging, it's very important to understand why women turn to prostitution," Moué noted. "In a lot of cases, women don't feel they have any other option. Many have addictions and have low self-esteem because they suffered some form of abuse earlier in life. Many find themselves in violent situations and see no way out."

Moué said the popularity of social media and networking via the Internet has made it easier for prostitutes to connect to potential clients. She said with the click of a mouse, an encounter can be set up anywhere in the region and can be carried out in a discreet manner.

"Social media and networking is great, but when it comes to prostitution, it makes it easier and faster," she stated. "A woman can go on and meet someone on Facebook or through a chat service, set up a time and place and just like that, it happens. It's also very dangerous and puts the women at great risk because they never really know who they are meeting up with."

Because Prescott-Russell is a rural region, Moué said the services offered to help women with addictions, mental-health issues and poverty often aren't diverse enough.

"I'm not saying we don't have excellent services, but in many cases, they can be difficult to access and we don't have all the services a more urban area would have," she explained. "It's easy to see why women turn to prostitution and feel they don't have any other option to survive. In many ways, prostitution is a very easy answer for a lot of women who feel hopeless about their options. Many women feel it is their only option."

Moué said she doesn't think the general public knows that prostitution is taking place in their small communities and if they do, many don't want to acknowledge it. The key, she said, is to raise public awareness about it and encourage people to help and support these women.

"It is very easy to judge and say we don't want this in the community," Moué remarked. "But it's here, it's happening, and now it needs to be addressed. We need to help and encourage these women. We need to let them know there are other options. If we can do that, then prostitution won't be an option any longer because these women are getting the assistance and encouragement they need."

If you or someone you know is involved in prostitution and needs assistance, please contact Centre Novas at 613-764-5700 or 1-866-992-7722.