A new report on the sexual exploitation of young men in Saskatchewan has some startling findings -- primarily that men and boys start younger in the sex trade and stay in it longer than women.

It's part of a greater study that will look at the problem throughout the Western Canadian provinces. It finds there are many factors common among the 40 young men interviewed for the local chapter of the study: drugs, running away from home, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to survive among them.

"Eighty-five per cent were aboriginal, 78% had a history of running away, and 75% had a history of sexual abuse" says author Dr. Susan McIntyre, who says she's unable to estimate how many young men are currently involved in the sex trade in Saskatchewan. She attributes that to the extremely secretive, underground way they operate. She also notes that young men typically start in the trade sooner and stay longer, partially because unlike women they can't have a child and don't have the support systems that usually come along with that.

Regina's Street Culture Kidz project helped in the research, and Director Kim Sutherland says the number may not be clear, there are plenty. "Once I got the first phone call and linked into the network of young men, within three days we had enough to complete the survey. It went on for three weeks and we never had a shortage. Once we got that first one it spread like wildfire."

They agree the support systems for men looking to leave the trade need to be different than those available for women, but because the subject of male prostitution seems to be largely ignored by society much of what's needed doesn't even exist yet.