Prevention Through Education: The Sex Buyers Accountability Program
Aura Burditt, BA (she/her) & Jaclyn MacLean, SSW (she/her) | September 23 | 3:15-4:15 pm EDT
Topic: Programming | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
This presentation has been informed by voices of various community members including survivors, and addresses the link between prostitution, pornography, and sex trafficking. The presenters will outline the use of the Sex Buyers Accountability Program (SBAP) as a restorative justice tool for educating offenders charged under The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA). PCEPA has been in place since 2014 in Canada, which criminalizes the purchase of sex but decriminalizes the selling of sexual services (with some exceptions). Restorative Justice operates on the premise that holding a person accountable is necessary for restoration and repair of harms they have caused. Attendees of the SBAP have historically been men from every age and demographic who have been charged and/or convicted with purchasing sex or other related criminal code violations. SBAP engages professionals, survivors, and community members to talk to attendees about the impact of receiving a criminal conviction, potential health risks, and emphasizing the extreme harm and extensive, complex trauma caused to the women. SBAP offers an opportunity for those charged to take ownership of the impact of their actions and to accept personal responsibility and accountability for their own behavior. They also receive an in-depth view of the commercial sex industry, along with the recognition that they have directly supported and enabled sex trafficking and other criminal activity every time they purchase sex. Effectiveness of the SBAP is measured by completion of questionnaires prior to and at completion, along with recidivism rates as provided by police services.
Presentation Objectives:
• Outline the Restorative Justice approach: accountability, education, repairing harms, reintegration, and restoration
• Describe the Sex Buyers Accountability Program
• Discuss the benefits of a diversion program as an educational tool