Help

IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE
AND SUPPORT

HELP 24/7: +1.514.923.7255

The Way Out offers help, support and accompaniment services for women who have experienced sexual exploitation or who wish to exit the sex industry in the Montreal and Quebec City areas.

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You don’t need to have experienced the worst atrocities for your exploitation to be real.

You don’t need to be ready to change everything in order to reach out to us.

You don’t need to be certain that you want to leave the sex industry to ask for help.

You don’t need to explain or justify what you’ve been through.

You can come to us even if you just want to talk.

Our support is voluntary, personalized, and respectful of your own pace.

WHO WILL ACCOMPANY YOU?

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Qualified Social Workers

The people who accompany you here are qualified social workers trained in the complex realities linked to sexual exploitation.

They follow strict professional rules of confidentiality, ethics, and respect.

Women Peer Supporters

Some of our intervenors are also peer supporters. They have themselves experienced sexual exploitation and have walked the path out of it.

They know, from the inside, what it means to survive in that world, to hesitate, to relapse, to feel afraid, to lose confidence — and to get back up again.

It means that when you speak, you are understood without having to explain everything.

You are not looked down on, nor observed from a distance.

You are accompanied by women who know that leaving exploitation is not simple, and that every step matters.

OUR SUPPORT

  1. The first contact: welcome, listening and orientation

When you contact us, we begin by welcoming you without judgment. Our priority is to understand your current situation and what you need right now.

We take the time to explore with you:

  • how you are doing, physically and emotionally;
  • whether you are safe;
  • what is most urgent for you (housing, health, exhaustion, crisis, isolation);
  • what you do or do not wish to undertake.

From there, we offer services tailored to your reality, without forcing you into a predefined path.

2. Stabilize: safety and basic needs

Before thinking about major changes, it is essential that you feel a minimum level of safety.
Depending on your situation, we can:

  • offer you an apartment in our residence, including food and basic amenities;
  • provide access to medical or psychosocial care;
  • help you with administrative or legal procedures;
  • refer you to specialized services as needed.

This stage aims to help you catch your breath, reduce crises, and build a more stable foundation.

3. Individual accompaniment, at your own pace

 

If you wish, a social worker can accompany you on a regular basis.

These meetings serve to:

  • better understand what you are going through;
  • identify what keeps you in difficult situations;
  • help you navigate the effects of past traumas;
  • reflect on choices that respect your needs and limits;
  • create a life plan.

You remain the one in charge of decisions. Our role is to help you regain power over your life, not to impose anything on you.

4. Learning to live differently, in practical terms

 

When you feel ready, we can help you develop skills for daily and social life, such as:

  • managing your daily life (housing, budget, meals);
  • improving your relationships and setting boundaries;
  • rebuilding your self-confidence;
  • developing skills for work or vocational training;
  • integrating into safer environments.

The goal is to gain autonomy, one step at a time.

5. Breaking isolation and creating safe, supportive connections

 

Sexual exploitation isolates. We help you rebuild connections that are not based on exploitation:

  • community groups;
  • community activities;
  • workshops and local resources;
  • support networks adapted to your reality.

You don’t have to go through this journey alone.

6. A journey without imposed timelines

 

There is no set duration for your journey.

Some women stay for a short time, others longer.

You can stay in our residence for up to one year.

We believe that lasting change takes time and that each woman progresses at her own pace.

WHAT WE WANT YOU TO KNOW

You are not responsible for the violence you have experienced.

You have the right to safety, respect, and dignity.

You have strengths, even if you don’t see them yet.

You don’t need to be ready to ask for help.

If you take the first step, we will be there to support you all the way.