Anti-Prostitution Facebook Group Shut Down

A Facebook group devoted to tackling the growing problem of prostitution and drug abuse in one of Montreal’s poorest neighbourhoods has decided to shut down, due to concerns that members of the group might face harrassment or abuse from those opposed to their message. The French-language group, entitled “Prostitution en Plein Jour” (Prostitution in Plain Sight), had hundreds of members according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and enlisted local residents of the working class district of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve to add pictures documenting the problem of prostition in their neighbourhood.

The Facebook group ultimately included dozens of candid camera shots of prostitutes waiting for clients at street corners, pimps, as well as drug dealers in the area. While the group’s goal was to raise awareness of this problem and to offer concerned residents a forum to vent their frustrations, Frédéric Leroux—a former member and active resident in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve—noted that posting negative comments on those involved in the local sex trade could endanger the lives of these outspoken individuals. But Facebook also offered a place for locals to critique the Canadian’s city’s police force, which many believed turned a blind eye to the social problems gripping the working class area.

Yet not everyone was pleased with this form of community activism encouraged on Facebook. Organizations that represent or advocate for sex workers in Canada felt that the idea of putting photos on the internet of unsuspecting prostitutes was an especially disrespectful and ultimately ineffective way of addressing an issue that has concerned generations. The Facebook group was deactivated earlier this month and all photos have been deleted.