Père-Marquette secondary school, in Montreal, sent a message to the parents of students at this establishment on Friday to call on them to be “vigilant”. A call for caution which comes at a time when “recruiters” are turning to social networks in the run-up to the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend to encourage young people to take part in certain events where they might be found “trapped”.
Friday morning, the principal of the school located in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie district, Éric Benoit, was contacted by a concerned teacher.
She then told him that she had noted the existence of “lots of invitations to parties launched in a reckless manner” on social networks and which are “very attractive for young people”, explains the director, in an interview with THE Duty.
After discussing the situation with the psychoeducators at his school, Éric Benoit decided to send today a call for caution to all parents whose children attend the establishment.
A measure which is intended to be “preventive” in a context where year after year, organizations are concerned about juvenile prostitution which occurs in the context of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, specifies Mr. Benoît.
“There are all kinds of offers circulating that are attractive to young people. It is in this context that we sent a message to parents asking them to remain vigilant, particularly because we know that recruitment increases at this time of year,” adds he.
Traps
In his email to parents, the director specifies that he has noted that certain “recruiters” are launching on social networks “invitations to participate in prestigious and luxurious parties for free in order to attract young people to events where they could be trapped and where we could take advantage of those who respond to the call.”
“We’re guessing you’re already in the habit of monitoring your children’s activities, but we invite you to spread the word to other parents you know in order to tighten the safety net around our children and ensure we that all the joyful activities of the weekend and the next month will be included in the register of happy memories,” continues this call for caution.
In an interview, Éric Benoît clarified that he decided to send this warning to parents on his own, and not in consultation with the other schools of the Montreal School Service Center, with which his establishment is affiliated.