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Transcultural Psychiatry, Vol. 42, No. 2, 242-271 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1363461505052667

Prostitution in Vancouver: Violence and the Colonization of First Nations Women

Melissa Farley

Prostitution Research and Education, San Francisco, mfarley{at}prostitutionresearch.com

Jacqueline Lynne

Vancouver, British Colombia

Ann J. Cotton

University of Washington, Seattle

We interviewed 100 women prostituting in Vancouver, Canada. We found an extremely high prevalence of lifetime violence and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fifty-two percent of our interviewees were women from Canada’s First Nations, a significant overrepresentation in prostitution compared with their representation in Vancouver generally(1.7-7%). Eighty-two percent reported a history of childhood sexual abuse, by an average of four perpetrators. Seventy-two percent reported childhood physical abuse, 90% had been physically assaulted in prostitution, 78% had been raped in prostitution. Seventy-two percent met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Ninety-five percent said that they wanted to leave prostitution. Eighty-six percent reported current or past homelessness with housing as one of their most urgent needs. Eighty-two percent expressed a need for treatment for drug or alcohol addictions. Findings are discussed in terms of the legacy of colonialism, the intrinsically traumatizing nature of prostitution and prostitution’s violations of basic human rights.

Key Words: colonization • First Nations • post-traumatic stress disorder • prostitution • sexual assault


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