A Saskatoon non-profit that supports at-risk youth is honouring 11 people who lost their lives to the sex trade in the last year.
On Wednesday evening, Egadz will hold its 25th annual day of mourning to recognize those who have died in the sex trade through violence, overdose, suicide or disease, according to Executive Director Don Meikle.
“It’s definitely a reality that individuals that end up in the sex trade, they don’t usually live a real long life,” said Meikle.
Many that get involved with the sex trade have already endured sexual abuse and exploitation, Meikle says, and they’re often self-medicating for that trauma with drugs.
“It’s a very high-risk lifestyle.”
Egadz has long provided outreach services to sex workers on the street, including food, water and safe sex supplies, but Meikle says the industry has shifted online, making it more difficult to offer help where it’s needed.