HEKATE | Gender Diversity, Boys and Transactional Sexual Violence
Better understanding and supporting individuals from 12 to 24 year old from the gender diversity and boys/mens going through transactional sexual violences.
- Developing, experimenting and evaluating, with the individuals and partners, adapted responses to the reality of those hardly concurring with the current services offered.
- Offering sensibilization tools to the people who are engaging with the individuals to favorize a better adapted support to their needs and often complex realities.
Why is this project relevant ?
The youth from the gender diversity and men are affected by transactional sexual violences, but their realities stay hardly seen in the current insights and intervention practices.
We know nonetheless that these individuals from the LGBTQ2S+ community are overrepresented among the concerned population by sexual exploitation and other forms of transactional sexual violences. However, their experiences, their journey and specific needs are still barely taken in account in the development of services.
Boys with vulnerabilities, including those with track records with child protection services, are likewise to those realities. However, those situations stay frequently less recognized, which can limit the identification and access to the adapted responses.
What do we mean by transactional sexual violences?
Within the framework of the HEKATE project, transactional sexual violences, refer to divers situations where one goes through violences in a context where sexuality is exchanged for something, whether its money, a place to sleep, food, substances, protection, affection or other resources.
This notion allows to recognize the diversity of the realities lived by these people, including in contexts such as sexual exploitation, sex work, of survival or violences amongst intimate partners.
Recent news
Coming soon
Several team members will attend the CBRC (Community Research Center) summit, which will take place in Toronto from October 29 to November 1, 2026. The team will present "Le comité Feu-follet : l’importance des savoirs expérientiels dans le développement d’un projet visant à prévenir les violences sexuelles transactionnelles"
as well as a poster summarizing the preliminary results of a review of the scientific literature. For more details on the summit.
July 15 to 18 2026
We were at the International Francophone Congress on Sexual Assault who was held in Montreal to present a workshop named " Mieux rejoindre les jeunes LGBTQIA2S+ et les garçons vulnérabilisés face aux violences sexuelles transactionnelles".
June 9, 2026
The members of the Feu-Follet committee organized a Picture rally in the south center district of Montreal to favorize team spirit and building bonds between the members, the intervenors et professionals, and members of the team working on the project.
May 20, 2026
Hold of the scientific committee reuniting the research workers, the intervenors, professionals, students and the members of the youth committee. The goal is to bring a scientific insight to the development of the practice.
May 15 2026
Multiple members of the team participated to ‘Day of reflexion’- Sexual Exploitation and gender diversity organized by the concertation table on sexual exploitation of the youth from Center-Quebec. In addition to a conference named “Les jeunes Queers vous jasent... prenez ça cool!!", the members made and animated clinical vignettes.
Partners and members of the team
University institute Youth in difficulties
Charline Côté, project manager, Martin Pelletier, educator and Marie-France Blais coordinator of the expertise center.
En Marge 12-17
Nathan Depeyre, social intervenor
Youth committee Feu Follet – Upcoming
Scientific committee
Rosemary Carlton (Montreal University), Philippe-Benoît Côté (Montreal University), Julie Deslande Leduc (Montreal University), Isabelle-Ann Leclair-Malette (IUJD)
Research support
Philémon Julien, Enzo Lengelé
Ressource personnel
Institut universitaire Jeunes en difficulté
Charline Côté, Martin Pelletier
Chargé(e) de projet clinico‑scientifique
iu-jd.ccsmtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
En Marge 12-17 : Nathan Depeyre, intervenant
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-10-23