Alice Ayres’ web site describes her as ‘‘a genuine voluptuous, Big Beautiful Woman (BBW) in Edmonton, Alberta.’’  She sells her body for sex, but sets limits (use good manners, please, and don’t ask for unprotected sex) and reminds clients to shower and brush their teeth, ‘‘just to make sure we can have a great time together.’’ 

She doesn’t see herself as a victim.  So when she got a text from CEASE, the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation, offering its services — “poverty relief, counselling, victim services, and more!” —  she was offended.  When she got more texts, she got annoyed. 

J.P. Moczulski for National Post

“I think that becomes harassment,” Ms. Ayres said.  Checking the text messages cuts into work time, she said, and serves as a “reminder that someone else views my work as invalid.” 

Any sex worker with a phone number listed in the Edmonton adult services section of Backpage.com has likely received one of CEASE’s support messages.  Others include: “Want out?  There is hope,” and “When you’re ready to talk, we’re here to listen.” 

These text messages, and thousands like them, come from Project Backpage, a new collaboration between the University of Alberta, Chrysalis Network, an anti-human trafficking group, and CEASE.  By sending messages to phone numbers scraped from the Edmonton adult section of Backpage.com using texting software FrontlineSMS, Project Backpage hopes to help potential victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. 

“There is no replacing a face-to-face relationship with a human being.  But the reality is that it’s very difficult now to find people who are actually standing on street corners that you can go say hello to,” says Jacqui Linder, founder of Chrysalis. 

Because the sex industry has mostly moved from the streets to the Internet, community outreach groups are finding it more difficult to make contact with women in the sex trade.  Project Backpage seeks to address this challenge. 

“You know how telemarketing can be really annoying?  This is a bit of a telemarketing strategy, but much less invasive in terms of reaching out.  But if you don’t want to reach back, no harm, no foul,” said Ms. Linder. 

For now, Project Backpage is focused on getting messages out rather than on the responses, but organizers have received a fair number of replies.  Several women who received the texts have subsequently phoned CEASE or Chrysalis looking for assistance with a variety of issues, such as drug addiction and career options.  The responses have also revealed new information about the Edmonton sex industry. 

“One woman who called the line when she got our text was actually a middle-class woman, who was a very interesting sex worker,” Ms. Linder said.  The woman used to be a medical worker and has kept her uniform. 

“What she would do is drive to different cities all over Alberta and set up in a hotel there and post online and provide sex for sale.  But she has two children and a very nice house in a [nice] neighbourhood, so when she went to work, she would wear scrubs.  So her kids think that Mommy is some kind of medical tech that does freelance work in different cities.” 

Screengrab

She contacted Project Backpage because she wanted some parenting advice but, as a sex worker, didn’t want to call a general helpline for parents. 

“What was interesting is that she was on Backpage.  You would think that Backpage is just sort of a bastion of skivvy individuals, but that’s not the case at all,” said Ms. Linder. 

However, some women who received the texts were having a much tougher time. 

Last December, a woman who contacted CEASE said she was being forced by her pimp to come to Edmonton from Toronto. “ She was in fear and obeyed,” said Kate Quinn, director of CEASE, who met this woman in person. “ Sadly in the end, her fear was so great that she took the Greyhound bus back to Toronto.  Her last text was from Winnipeg.  I sent several more, but no response,” Ms. Quinn said in an email. 

“What we can do through the texting project is simply be there.  We may not be able to assist someone to leave a trafficker at that time.  But she will know that a stranger in another city cared and that she can reach out.” 

Ms. Ayres is not the only one to have reservations, though; many sex workers have expressed mixed reactions.  Some say the texts are useless and offensive.  The texted responses have conveyed a range of reactions, from, “what, who is this?”  and “don’t text me that bulls—,” to, “thank you it’s an amazing thing you’re doing.” 

People who reply asking not to be sent any more messages are moved to a Do Not Text list. 

As an experiment, Ms. Ayres — who shares a name with Natalie Portman’s stripper character in Closer — sent reply texts asking for help as a test to see how Chrysalis would respond.  She said she received a text back four days later. 

“What if I actually needed help and … I’m contacting you the way you contacted me and you’re not available?  That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of,” said Ms. Ayres. 

Other sex workers, though, say this texting campaign could be an effective and dignified way to communicate with sex workers. 

Frontline SMS screen grab

“I think that initiatives like this are important because not only do we need to know the truth about exploitation in the industry,” said Susan Davis, a sex worker and development coordinator at the West Coast Cooperative of Sex Industry Professionals, “but we do need support for people who are experiencing it.” 

She takes the view that the texting tactic is a preferable alternative to police raids and sting operations, such as Operation Spotlight, in which police across Canada interviewed more than 300 sex workers this year in a quest to find victims of trafficking and exploitation. 

“They [the police] book fake appointments.  And when I answer the door for an appointment, I’m wearing panties, stockings, high heels, no shirt…and now you’ve got four police officers at the door?…  Phone contact is best.” 

Project Backpage’s backers say they will continue texting.  They recently began sending out messages in Mandarin.  According to the Edmonton Police and CEASE, there is “a significant population of Chinese-speaking individuals who are possible victims of human trafficking,” the project’s recent report says. 

Gordon Gow, professor of communication and technology at the University of Alberta and Project Backpage facilitator, said police forces across Canada are interested in the project.  The Project Backpage team hopes to collaborate with Alberta Health Services on health-related text messages and plans to conduct a series of seasonal texting campaigns, to be continued this summer.