Cops visit sex workers hunting for human trafficking victims

January 26, 2014

http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/01/24/cops-visit-sex-workers-hunting-for-human-trafficking-victims

Police say they're posing as johns and visiting sex workers in a bid to find the hidden victims of human trafficking -- especially underage girls.

But one Ottawa escort and a local advocate for sex-trade workers say they're making the women suspicious and scared not safer.

"Those girls are afraid," said an escort who wanted to remain anonymous.

She hasn't been targeted yet but said that other women are abuzz about police calling escorts who advertise online and booking a date.

Then when the woman opens the door to one man, she finds several more officers on her doorstep.

The women fear letting police into their homes-- they are also visiting spas and massage parlours -- being outed to bystanders and being asked for personal information, she said.

"There's got to be a better way to handle this," she said.

Ottawa Police Inspector Paul Johnston said that while police visited his estimate of a few dozen women a day several days this week, they just want to ask if they're OK and let them know help is available.

Advance warning might put them at even greater risk from pimps, he said, but police trained the officers - several female - consulted with victims' groups and have crisis workers ready.

Other Ontario forces are doing it, too.

Johnston points to high-profile local cases such as a Montreal man who lured, beat and pimped out a 17-year-old girl in a downtown hotel or a teen pimping ring involving girls as young as 13.

Victims say they might have escaped sooner if they'd been approached by police, Johnston said.

"This is not an enforcement-driven initiative - it's a proactive effort to see if we can find and help those who need us most," he said.

Johnston said the only negative feedback was a Facebook posting Friday by Maggie's - a Toronto sex workers' group - decrying police "entrapment" in Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto and warning sex workers don't have to let officers in their homes or show ID.

"It's creating a tremendous sense of distrust in the sex worker community," said Emily Symons, chair of POWER (Prostitutes of Ottawa-Gatineau Work, Educate and Resist), who calls the use of false pretenses to target even clearly established, independent escorts "troubling."

Ottawa Police would have been better to set up a special unit with trained officers and a dedicated phone line for sex workers who often fear officers to report violence and exploitation.

"It's a huge step backward," Symons said.