Written by Arlene Stinson As at Aug. 4, 2022, both Visa and Mastercard have suspended service to the advertising arm of Pornhub, TrafficJunky. This is a major victory for our Choose Change campaign. Advertising is a major source of revenue for porn sites. Defend Dignity has repeatedly asked Mastercard and Visa to cut off this pipeline of profit to sites …
Think of a local business or organization in your neighbourhood that offers free public Wi-Fi. What comes to mind? Maybe it’s a favourite coffee shop, library or community centre. Somewhere you like to relax, get work done, or catch up with a friend. Maybe you’d be surprised to learn that the fight against sexual exploitation includes educating places like these …
This guest blog post was written by Mikhaela Gray-Beerman, an anti-trafficking advocate, researcher, and educator. Author’s Note: I acknowledge that I am not writing this article from the perspective of an individual with lived experience. I recognize the importance of uplifting the voices of those impacted by the sex industry, and I believe that their views are central to our …
We must face reality: kids are being exposed to online pornography and it’s starting at increasingly younger ages. While the exact age of first pornography exposure varies, most anecdotal accounts and studies show between 7-13[i]. And what kind of content are these kids being exposed to? A 2021 study of three of the most popular pornography sites found that 1 …
Written by Arlene Stinson Sugar dating sites connect “sugar daddies” – statistically men over 45 who have disposable income – with “sugar babies” – usually young, financially vulnerable women, such as university students. The marketing strategy of “sugar” sites like Seeking Arrangement or Seeking Benefits is to present themselves as dating sites “with benefits” and a “harmless way to make …
Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek have been on the hot seat both internationally and domestically for hosting and profiting from heinous crimes such as rape, CSAM, sex trafficking, and non-consensual material. MindGeek is facing several lawsuits, service suspensions from credit card providers and an investigation by the House of Commons Ethics Committee. Hundreds of survivors, advocates, and elected officials …
This guest blog post was written by Mikhaela Gray-Beerman, an anti-trafficking advocate, researcher and educator. Author’s Note: I acknowledge that I am not writing this article from the perspective of an individual with lived experience. I recognize the importance of uplifting the voices of those who have been impacted by the sex industry and I believe that their perspectives are …
This post concludes our series on Prostitution in Canada. Our last post discussed Canada’s prostitution laws. Today, we’ll hear a survivor’s perspective. Today’s guest author is Trisha Baptie. Trisha is a feminist and a survivor of 15 years in the sex industry in Vancouver, BC. As a citizen journalist, she covered the murder of some of her friends during the …
This blog post continues our series about prostitution in Canada. Our last blog post explored the question “What is Demand?”. Today, we focus on Canada’s current prostitution laws: PCEPA. Today’s guest authors are Julia Beazley, Director of Public Policy at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and Arlene Stinson, Coordinator of Research and Strategic Development for Defend Dignity. NOTE: Since this post …
This blog post continues our series about prostitution in Canada. Our last blog post explored the question “what is prostitution”. Today, we focus on demand. Our guest author for this post is Hennes Doltze, Program Manager for Diversion Programs at the Salvation Army Correctional and Justice Services in Winnipeg. When an individual is arrested for purchasing or attempting to purchase …
