Sexual exploitation | The SPVM will keep an eye on clients and pimps during the Grand Prix

The Sexual Exploitation and Morality investigators of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) have already been at work for a few weeks, and will be there again in the coming days to try to deal with the phenomenon of prostitution. surrounding the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.

“It is the clients who are above all the source of the problem,” says Marco Breton, commander of the Sexual Exploitation and Morality section of the SPVM.

The officer approves of the “Paying for sex is illegal in Canada” advertising campaign, recently launched by Quebec, in collaboration with the Concertation des Luttes contre l’Exploitation Sexuale, which is particularly aimed at tourists and supporters who would not only be tempted by the F1 race.

According to Commander Marco Breton, for at least three weeks, his investigators have been visiting major hotels and licensed establishments in Montreal, and talking to taxi or Uber drivers to report any situation of sexual exploitation. during the days of the Grand Prix.

The sectors of Old Montreal, downtown and Plateau-Mont-Royal are particularly at the heart of police efforts.

All the staff of Sexual Exploitation, Morality and the Eclipse squad, which specializes in collecting information and monitoring bars, are involved.

The police also monitor social networks and the various sites where sexual services are advertised.

Historically, police forces act immediately when they know that underage young women are victims of sexual exploitation.

“If we are faced with a situation of prostitution, the client will be arrested and the girl, who for us is often a victim, will be taken care of. We’re going to try to get her out of the middle and offer her all the services so that she doesn’t go back there. We bet a lot on the victims so that they denounce the pimps, ”he adds.

Can’t fight alone

The officer believes that “it is reasonable to think” that the offer of prostitution could be greater during the Grand Prix in 2022 than in years past, after two years of absence.

In 2019 and before, police forces have already indicated that pimps and escorts from other Canadian provinces would be more likely to converge on Montreal during Grand Prix week.

Experts have also concluded that advertisements for sexual and escort services on social networks or on the Internet would be much more numerous during the same period.

But Commander Breton is unable to confirm this trend or quantify the phenomenon.

However, he admits that his investigators are working on a very large field and that they need hotel and bar owners, taxi drivers and other partners to fight against sexual exploitation during the Grand Prix.

“More and more, we see that our partners want to help us. They want to denounce because it is not tolerated. That’s where it can make a difference in our mission, otherwise it’s difficult for us to be able to really stop the problem,” says the commander, according to whom Montreal can be considered a hub for sexual exploitation at the same title than other major cities in the world.

“Montreal is no exception. Big cities are always more prone to sex tourism. We will not play the ostrich, ”concludes Mr. Breton.

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“At each Grand Prix, unfortunate events happen”

Before the pandemic forced the cancellation of the last two editions of the Canadian Grand Prix, the Formula 1 weekend unfortunately rhymed with an upsurge in sexual exploitation, especially that of young women. On the occasion of the return of the event to the metropolis, the speakers are busy.

The reality is raw: a direct link exists between “big events” and prostitution, says Jennie-Laure Sully, community organizer of the Concertation des fights contre l’exploitationsexual (CLES). “Whether it’s the Super Bowl or the Soccer World Cup, traffic in downtown areas is multiplied by tourism, both domestic and international. It is therefore a real gold mine for pimps, ”she notes.

The true scale of this phenomenon is difficult to quantify, especially after more than two years of the pandemic.

This logic makes Isabelle Gélinas, director of communications for the Women’s Y of Montreal, fear that the demand for paid sex has followed the exacerbated enthusiasm for the return of Formula 1.

Over the past decade, there have been many news reports of the active recruitment of sex workers taking place in the weeks leading up to the Grand Prix. Pascale Philibert, counselor at the Direction de la protection de la jeunesse de la Montérégie, points out that the solicitation of young teenagers is now done mainly through social networks: young people are attracted by luxury living, jewelry and beautiful dresses.

Recruitment is also done between friends. “We have started to hear testimonies from young women who are asked to solicit their friends,” remarks Jennie-Laure Sully.

“We do a lot of awareness-raising upstream with stakeholders and parents because the last thing we want is for teenagers to be surprised to receive a solicitation shortly before the Grand Prix. They must have the reflex to ask themselves what is hidden behind an offer that is sometimes too attractive”, specifies Pascale Philibert, head of the Mobilis project for ten years.

The Mobilis project, which fights against the pimping and sexual exploitation of young girls, has also worked to train a good number of workers from youth centers in the Montérégie in recent weeks in order to prevent runaways, often more numerous during the Grand Prix weekend.

Shared responsibility

According to M^me Philibert, the Grand Prix is ​​also the perfect opportunity for a parent to discuss the subject of sexual exploitation with their children. “Parents have a key role to play; they are nothing more than a safety net. And young people often give a few clues to the adults around them. It’s not normal, at 13, to go to a party in a hotel or in an Airbnb. »

She suggests that parents challenge their teens and come up with a safety plan with them if a planned party goes wrong.

Isabelle Gélinas advances two avenues of prevention. First, she suggests that festivals, bars and hotels receive tax incentives to secure their venues.

M^me Gélinas then notes that youth centers are a real “pimp magnet”, in particular because their addresses are public. “The establishment of a network of friendly homes, modeled on the operation of the Parents-Secours* organization, could be a great way out of the hold that pimps have over their victims, whether they are women or men. »

“It would take big shock campaigns”

She also regrets that the responsibility for raising awareness rests with community organizations, such as those who formed the “Un trop Grand Prix” committee. “There should be big shock campaigns like those against drunk driving, and the penalties should be adapted to the offence,” she argues.

With the return of F1 to Montreal, CLES finds it particularly important to reach out to sex tourists and other clients of prostitution who see the Grand Prix as an opportunity to buy sex acts.

“This year’s advertising campaign is targeting customers, because we see that many people do not know the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act of 2014. The client is at the base of the system and, without him, pimps would not seek to recruit. You have to make the customer realize what kind of system they are encouraging,” says Jennie-Laure Sully.

* Block Parents offers a network of safe havens where children and seniors who are in difficulty while on the streets can get immediate help.