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Faced with this unfortunate reality, Gerry Plunkett, a resident of Montreal’s West Island, mobilized the community to establish a charitable organization specializing in helping victims of sexual exploitation. On July 3, 2013, La Sortie officially became a nonprofit organization focused on providing assistance and support to women who have experienced sexual exploitation. On the same date, the committee appointed Ronald Lepage as its executive director, responsible for developing La Sortie. Mr. Lepage dedicated the first two years to planning activities.

[La Sortie]‘s mission has been to provide assistance and support
to women victims of sexual exploitation

Since 2015, La Sortie has raised awareness among decision-makers and the public about the needs of victims of sexual exploitation. The organization has participated in various consultation groups and organized advocacy events. Informative videos have been published, and conferences have been held in schools and other youth environments, featuring women who have lived through these experiences. Additionally, the annual fundraising gala launched on November 12, 2016, has contributed to awareness efforts through its content and media coverage.

Public awareness efforts led to La Sortie being selected by Public Safety Canada to coordinate a project called Horizon from October 2016 to March 2019. This initiative aimed to identify housing needs for victims of human trafficking in Quebec. Research conducted by Mourani-Criminologie with 548 women revealed a strong preference for subsidized and secure independent housing with support services. The “Housing First” approach was recommended as it prioritizes providing housing as a first step toward social reintegration. In June 2022, La Sortie received conditional funding commitments from the Affordable Housing Quebec Program and Montreal’s housing department for a building with 15 apartments scheduled for completion by December 2025.

 

Since 2016, while preparing for the construction of this building, La Sortie has welcomed, assessed, and guided women seeking alternatives to the sex industry through various social services in the Montreal area. These activities gained recognition from Justice Canada’s Victims Fund on August 1, 2017. As its support program became more structured, La Sortie rented a residence in September 2018 that could accommodate up to five women in the Montreal region. This achievement led to recognition under the Community Organizations Support Program in 2019. Since April 2021, additional funding has been provided by Quebec’s public safety department for sexual exploitation missions and by Quebec’s program supporting women exiting prostitution in April 2023.

In November 2020, responding to an emerging issue involving images published by the pornography industry, a Senate committee invited elected officials and citizens to mobilize against this problem. A class-action lawsuit against a well-known platform was initiated, with La Sortie designated as the contact organization for victims. The organization established a support group for victims with Rose Sullivan—a field worker and survivor who was already assisting a network of affected women in Quebec City—participating actively. As a result of these events, La Sortie‘s support program is now also available in the National Capital Region.