The PACE Philosophy

By, with, and for sex workers - PACE Society promotes safer working conditions by reducing harm and isolation through education and support.

We engage our sex worker members to lead and design the very programs and services they access. PACE Society has created many invaluable tools for working with survival sex workers and educating the public, from research ethics to policy development and more.

Support services are at the heart of what we do, but we also offer public education, outreach, health education, counseling, community building, safety training, sensitivity training; and we provide supplies and educational materials.

We believe that sex workers are valuable members of our community and are entitled to the same rights as all other human beings.

Although PACE Society advocates for and aligns itself with all sex workers, our programs and services are primarily focused on, created and accessed by survival sex workers.

PACE Society defines survival sex as: the lack of opportunity to consistently exercise the right to refuse sex in dangerous circumstances. This lack of opportunity is primarily due to poverty, unsafe working conditions, health and addictions issues, exploitation, predatory violence, and the “criminalization” of negotiation – Section 213 of Canadian Criminal Code.

We do not see sex workers as weak and vulnerable souls in need of saving; we see them as our greatest community resource.

With their help and expertise, we find solutions to address the growing needs of marginalized people in our communities and identify the underlying issues that create and necessitate survival sex work.

We are dedicated to ensuring sex workers hold leadership, have further educational opportunities, and have active, on-going influence in creating policy and programs based on their needs.

Sex Workers Must Hold Leadership at PACE because…

• It ensures that we are accurately representing sex workers and their needs
• It builds capacity and skills in sex workers so they can self-advocate and increase their marketable skills
• It builds capacity in sex workers to carry on the work of PACE and ensure that PACE will continue to be staffed and driven primarily by individuals with experience in sex work.