Canadian Police Focus on Women Coerced Into Sex Trade

[Escapefromstress 2976]

Oct 07, 2014 13:15 ET

 

Last week, police services across Canada participated in a two-day blitz focusing on the growing concern that women are being forced to participate in the sex trade.

 

Operation Northern Spotlight II involved 26 police services on October 1 and 2, 2014 and was centered around hotels and motels on major thoroughfares in 28 cities and towns across the country. A total of 167 police officers and support staff took part and 257 people were interviewed including a 12-year-old girl in Winnipeg.

 

Police found some were being forced to perform sexual acts, multiple times a day, for paying male customers. Nine people were arrested across Canada and face charges including: Exercise Control, Make Child Pornography, Distribute Child Pornography, Forcible Confinement, Trafficking in Persons, Material Benefit, Withhold or Destroy Documents, Living off the Avails of Prostitution, Assault, Procuring, Utter Threats, Obstruct Police and Breach of Recognizance and Probation.

 

In Durham Region, officers interviewed 31 sex trade workers, with an average age of 26, and investigators believe nine were under some level of control. These 31 people represent the highest total for any police service during Operation Northern Spotlight II.

 

Although the Criminal Code section refers to this activity as Human Trafficking, the public may better understand this issue as sex slavery. Although many of the women appear to be making their own decisions to participate for financial gain, investigators found several teenagers and young women were being forced to perform through threats of violence, physical intimidation, drug dependency and other forms of coercion. Part or all of the proceeds from the sexual encounters were kept by their adult male controller or pimp.

 

Police Services will continue to monitor any incidents of forced participation in hopes of assisting any woman involved in the sex trade business against her will.

 

The following police services participated in this phase of Operation Northern Spotlight:

Barrie Police Service; Brantford Police Service; Durham Regional Police; Halton Regional Police; Hamilton Police Service; Kingston Police Service; RCMP Kitchener; London Police Service; Peel Regional Police Service; Peterborough-Lakefield Community Police Service; Port Hope Police Service; Toronto Police Service; Waterloo Regional Police Service; Windsor Police Service; OPP; Calgary Police Service; Edmonton Police Service; Lethbridge Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team [ALERT]; Regina Police Service; Saskatoon Police Service; Winnipeg Police Service; RCMP Exploited Persons Pro-active Strategy (EPPS); Gatineau Police; Ville de Quebec Police; Halifax Regional Police and RCMP Halifax.

 

If you have information about any person being coerced into the sex trade, please contact your local police service.

 

Read more here: http://www.drps.ca/internet_explorer/whatsnew/whatsnew_view.asp?Related_With=Top_Story&Scope=&Scope_ID=&ID=28758

[cinelli 22184]

Durham police interviewed 31 women and only 9 were under some form of control?

 

That means 22...more than two thirds...were doing it on their own free will, and not being exploited.

 

Why does the news writer not emphasize that fact? It disproves everything C36 stands for.

[Phaedrus 209521]

Update: turns out the 12-year-old was not part of this, but was involved in an entirely separate police investigation. From this article:

 

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version had police saying a 12-year-old Winnipeg girl was among the 18 people rescued in a human-trafficking investigation. Winnipeg police later said that she was part of a separate investigation unrelated to the human trafficking probe.

[HOLLY613 100]

Hello all...this is my very first post!

 

I'm trying this lifestyle for the first time and had a question which I hope someone can answer for me. As far as the police and the law is concerned, how much should a new comer to the business over the age of 18 like myself be concerned about having the police show up to the door acting like a client?

From what I have read online, the law seems to be targeting women who are under the age of 18 and women who may be under the control of someone who is forcing them to do this. Neither of those situation apply to me so how worried should I really be?

[Phaedrus 209521]

Welcome, Holly!

 

As far as the police and the law is concerned, how much should a new comer to the business over the age of 18 like myself be concerned about having the police show up to the door acting like a client?

From what I have read online, the law seems to be targeting women who are under the age of 18 and women who may be under the control of someone who is forcing them to do this. Neither of those situation apply to me so how worried should I really be?

 

The ladies would be better placed to answer this than me, but... I suspect not too much. And if they did, they seem to have historically been concerned with "Looking out for you", and "Making sure you're not being coerced". How that squares with booking appointments, wasting your time and the intimidation involved is... unclear to me.

 

However, last time they did this they managed to target some local providers who are not just clearly of age and independent, but also quite heavily involved in pro-sex-work activism, which says quite a bit about either their motives or their cluefulness (or, more likely, both)

 

Actually, on that subject: did any of our CERB ladies get hit with a visit this time around? I see Ottawa Police sat this one out, although Gatineau were involved...

[HOLLY613 100]

Thank you for the advice....

[Studio 110 by Sophia 150333]

A few years ago I am sure that I was "investigated" and I am glad that they did. As they quickly learned I was an adult who was independent and in no way a menace or exploited. For me, I felt good in knowing my local police did know who I was, and how I operate. If my local police didn't know me by the millions of ads I have, then I would have little faith in my police department!

 

There has been some interviews here in the east, but nothing extreme. Just making sure they know who the professionals are in the city, making sure were of age and not forced in anyway. Then they move on, no harm done.

 

If you do find yourself in this interview situation, just be casual and calm. Let them know you are an independent adult entertainer/companion, but do not sell sexual services. Of course making sure your location is free from any other illegal activates.

[cat 262460]

"In Durham Region, officers interviewed 31 sex trade workers, with an average age of 26, and investigators believe nine were under some level of control. These 31 people represent the highest total for any police service during Operation Northern Spotlight II."

 

I find that they BELIEVED 9 were under some level of control which means they can't actually prove it. What they don't factor in is the tendency for peope to default to the inaction of "it's easier to blame someone else for your actions than own it when challenged" if it's something they haven't reconciled within themselves...

 

cat

[Gia Wren Marlowe 67985]

Further to Cat's point, I think they would also list any agency worker as someone they believe to be "controlled", so keep that in mind. Not everyone with an agent or a manager is coerced.

 

I also love how the young people that legitimately are rescued through completely different operations are always lumped in with these pointless interviews. I'm sure it is done deliberately to try to make it look like these initiatives are more effective than they are. A short correction a few days later is better than nothing, but most people reading the story the first day will never see that. The police and/or media is clearly using a bit of propaganda there. It's frustrating.

[Phaedrus 209521]

I also love how the young people that legitimately are rescued through completely different operations are always lumped in with these pointless interviews. I'm sure it is done deliberately to try to make it look like these initiatives are more effective than they are. A short correction a few days later is better than nothing, but most people reading the story the first day will never see that. The police and/or media is clearly using a bit of propaganda there. It's frustrating.

 

You're absolutely right. But I see this constant effort to deceive as pretty solid evidence that the truth is not on their side, and - just as important - they know it.

[kerrixoxo 33719]

Further to Cat's point, I think they would also list any agency worker as someone they believe to be "controlled", so keep that in mind. Not everyone with an agent or a manager is coerced.

 

 

Basically it is any sex worker who is under 21 (some 25 years), any sex worker who may look "young" (whatever that means), any non-white sex worker, any sex worker not from the area, any sex worker who can't prove they are from the area, any sex worker without legitimate ID (you need ID to book a hotel room mostly so that means someone else booked the hotel room or you paid cash and the hotel accepted, which happens like never nowadays), any sex worker who works with other sex workers or travels with other sex workers, any sex worker who acts in an aggressive manner towards the police, any sex worker who may be in a location that has substances (drugs/alcohol) in the room that they find while searching the room. Once the police are in your room/work location they are free to check almost anything (except a locked cellphone, password protected computer, thumb drives). This is also why it is good to answer the door fully clothed.