Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 107 continued... Special Committee To Prevent the Abuse and Exploitation of Children through the Sex Trade excerpt from INTERIM REPORT June 28, 2000 1st Session of the 24th Legisature LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SASKATCHEWAN The Committee also heard various estimates on the extent of the problem in both Saskatoon and Regina. Saskatoon Police estimated as of January 2000 and in the previous sixteen months that there were a total of 61 youth under the age of 18, and eight under the age of 14, who were sexually exploited on the street. Documentation submitted from Egadz Outreach in Saskatoon indicated that the problem is much more significant. Egadz statistics for the 1999-2000 fiscal year indicate that there were 261 youth who were sexually exploited in Saskatoon. Broken down further, these included 58 female children 14 years and younger, 197 females aged 15-18 years old, and six males aged 15-18 years old. Witnesses from Regina presented statistics to the Committee which indicate that at any given time there are about 300 children who are being sexually exploited and abused on the street, particularly in the core area of North Central Regina. Given these numbers, it became clear to the Committee that there is a much larger number of sexual predators seeking these children out. E. Intervention, Outreach, and Safe Refuge It was apparent from the hearings that outreach programming is an effective and vitally important intervention process to help children and youth exit “the life”. Witnesses testified that outreach staff invest inthese children over the long term and never give up the support required to help children, youth, and their families to choose healthy lifestyles. The Committee was told there are several effective outreach programs currently operating within Saskatchewan. Safe house programming was again identified as an important intervention process to help children and youth exit the street. A safe house, such as the one operated by the Saskatoon Tribal Council in Saskatoon, provides children at risk with a safe refuge from the street. It provides an opportunity for children who have suffered abuse on the street to restore eating and sleeping patterns, have medical needs addressed, and receive counseling and other forms of assistance. A safe house is regarded as an important avenue by which to establish a relationship with a child to begin the process of helping him or her leave the street life. A few of the presenters felt the foster care system could also be an asset if more Aboriginal homes were recruited. It was their view that Aboriginal children in care of the ...Special Committee to Prevent the Abuse of Exploitation of Children through the sex Trade continued. “Many sexually exploited youth are still suffering from oppression,and poverty, and self-esteem. all it takes is for one person to make adifference in one person’s life.” (Youth, March 20, 2000, pg. 179) “You grow up around that. You see, oh, look at the nice clothes they have … . They have money all the time, they have joints. Oh wow, they’re drinking all the time. Obviously you’re going to want some part of that.” (Youth, March 20, 2000, pg. 191) “We have at one time looked at all the prostitutes that we have charged in regina and they are up around the number of 900.… and i would guess, or take an estimated guess, that one-third of those are under 18.” (Detective constable Sheree Gay, regina Police Services, March 7, 2000, pg. 142) “and i kept going back to the streets until basically somebody suggested … that i should see this woman (outreach) … and she knew how it was like because before i thought that nobody was really like me. i thought that i was like … i thought i was so useless to this world.” (Youth, March 7, 2000, pg. 126) “We need to have more aboriginal families involved infoster care … a lot of aboriginal families are interested in taking care of aboriginal children … and these are good people; they will provide good homes.”(Gloria Swindler, Program coordinator, Saskatoon Tribal council Safe House, March 20, 2000, pg. 175-176)
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