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Sex, Lies and Olympic Games: Case Study of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

Sex, Lies and Olympic Games: Case Study of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Dr Rebecca Finkel & Dr Cathy Matheson School of Business, Enterprise & Management Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Agenda. Rationale Literature context Research methods Vancouver case study Emerging data

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Sex, Lies and Olympic Games: Case Study of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

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  1. Sex, Lies and Olympic Games: • Case Study of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Dr Rebecca Finkel & Dr Cathy Matheson School of Business, Enterprise & Management Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

  2. Agenda • Rationale • Literature context • Research methods • Vancouver case study • Emerging data • Events management perspectives • Questions • Many thanks to School of Business, Enterprise and Management at Queen Margaret University, International Centre for the Study of Planned Events, and Carnegie Trust for making this research possible through generous funding and support.

  3. Rationale • Commercialised sex and global events • Increase in demand? • Decrease in demand? • Often overlap of street sex spaces and Olympics spaces • Image / Cost Implications • ‘Invisible’ service providers • Media attention brings issues to forefront

  4. Interdisciplinary Literature: Gender & Sexuality Studies • Sex work/Prostitution • Urban geography (Pitcher et al 2006; Hubbard 2005)‏ • Abolitionist: criminalise (erdicate) demand(Jeffreys 2002; Davidson O'Connell 2006)‏ • Legalisation: control for safety (Agustin 2007; Kempadoo 2003)‏

  5. Interdisciplinary Literature: Events & Tourism Management • Sex tourism (Hall & Ryan 2001; Oppermann 1998)‏ • Human Rights & Sporting Events • Improvements (Black & Bezanson 2004)‏ • Housing displacement for Olympic development (COHRE 2007; Olds 1998)‏ • World Cup (Tavella 2007; Ohmann 2006)‏

  6. Research Plan • Case study of 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games • Never about measurement, quantification – no street level, no 'victims' • Specific attention to landscape, policies, and responses

  7. Why Vancouver? • Timing (new research)‏ • Brothel in Olympic Village news • Future Group Report (2007)‏ • Dual city reputation (DTES)‏ • Developed nation....

  8. Research Methods • In-depth, semi-structured interviews with experts in the subject of enquiry (22)‏ • Private, public and third sector stakeholders • Police (VPD, RCMP)‏ • Government (OCTIP, City) • National chapters of international agencies (GAATW)‏ • Academics (UBC, SFU)‏ • Frontline support agencies • Ethnic minority support agencies • Legal NGO's • Former sex workers/current activists • Vice Squad; Border Security Agency

  9. Methods Challenges • Emerging area (1980s/1990s)‏ • Policy responses have been varied and problematic • Absence of sex worker voices • Divided over approaches towards commercial sex • Relationships between sex workers and police have been problematic • Lack of data on scope of diversity of experiences • Shallow evidence base • Underground, criminal and covert activity • Focus on stakeholders and policy

  10. Vancouver Landscape • Prostitution laws : legal to have sex and get paid • Illegal to solicit or communicate commercial sex • Brothels and public sex is illegal • Pimping is illegal • Massage parlours are licensed • 'John Schools' : VPD deal with provider • 10% street prostitution : most focus • Type of sex work 'segregated' by ethnicity • Missing women – 75% First Nations • 'Highway of Tears' : 520/3,000 • Nationally well regarded frontline support agencies

  11. Issues Emerging • Very divisive two-camp approach to issues pertaining to commercial sex, which have repercussions on approaches to support, agency influence and policies • Olympic Games are catalyst for debate. Aggravate current situation and bring issues close to surface above the surface through increased media attention and forums for debate, especially concerning resource allocation

  12. Other factors • Lack of co-operation between support and activist groups • Victim / Entrepreneur • Safety concerns • Displacement • Police / Security • Online / Underground • Financial cuts to services

  13. Sex industry & Human trafficking • Conflation of selling sex by choice and by force • Conflation of foreign women and trafficked women • Breadth of 'lived experience' – individual choice and case-by-case experiences • Problems with agreed (self) definitions • Different models • Swedish • Dutch • American

  14. Events Management Perspectives • Host destinations face media scrutiny over decisions regarding funding social services and funding Olympics • Media focus on international human trafficking not sex workers, domestic trafficking • Divisions in perspective based on agenda • DTES: displacement and exclusion issues for vulnerable populations • Whose Games?

  15. Questions?

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