Vigil planned for Hamilton woman at site where she was brutally attacked by 24-year-old man
CBC
Sex Workers' Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton has organized a vigil for a 46-year-old woman who suffered a violent sexual assault on Barton Street East in the early morning hours on June 27.
SWAP Executive Director Jelena Vermilion says the vigil — which will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 15 at the alleyway where the woman was attacked — is an opportunity for the Hamilton community to show up for sex workers.
"We need to decriminalize sex work in order to keep people safer," Vermilion told CBC Hamilton on Sunday.
Police say "the brutal attack" left the woman "in critical condition and unconscious."
Vermilion says the woman's condition remains the same, almost a week after the attack.
"She had broken cheekbones, nose and jaw, and she underwent surgery this week. She's still unconscious. She's still in the coma. Her face is still unrecognizable," she said.
"The doctors are not sure whether she will regain consciousness, so it is a large part of why we are [holding] this vigil, because it is uncertain.
"Also, her mother had actually suggested that we throw something and the mother had asked to participate in it, so we wanted to honour her wishes," Vermilion added.
The organization is also raising funds to help pay the mother's expenses, who came to Hamilton from Woodstock, Ont., to be with her daughter and has a limited budget being on the Ontario Disability Support Program, SWAP said.
On Thursday police said the man — a 24-year-old from Hamilton — responsible for "this senseless beating and sexual assault" was identified and arrested by detectives, without incident, around 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
He appeared in court on Thursday and and was charged with aggravated sexual assault.
SWAP is a non-partisan group consisting of concerned individuals — including those with lived experience — agencies and groups committed to assisting and supporting those working in the sex trade industry.
The group's three main areas of work are education, outreach and advocacy.
Vermilion says the woman "is known as being a sex worker," adding that the point of SWAP Hamilton existing is to stand against the stigma that exists in society.
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