Montreal police have a new plan and a new mindset when it comes to sex work and sexual exploitation. The city is considered a hub for sex work and and human trafficking, with police saying women and teenaged girls are brought into the city and forced into what amounts to sexual slavery.
Montreal police commander Ian Lafreniere said the force is trying to change how its internal culture when it comes to dealing with prostitutes, considering them victims instead of criminals. On the jagged edge for them to call police it's been seen as them doing something illegal," said Cmdr. Last fall Mayor Denis Coderre said he wanted the crack down on massage parlours that operate as fronts for sex work, even as the Supreme Court of Canada ruled three of Canada's laws against living off the avails of prosttitution, street soliciting and keeping a brothel were unconstitutional.
Lafreniere said police want to focus on eliminating the sexual exploitation of minors, human trafficking, and street walking. To that end police hope to communicate more with their counterparts in Laval and Longueuil in order to improve their expertise in dealing with sex work, and to increase the awareness of citizens about how woman become sex workers.
Stella, a group that fights for the rights of Montreal sex trade workers, offered praise for the new approach in an interview with CTV Montreal Monday. It's good to see police with the idea of prioritizing their interventions on coercion and human trafficking rather than the sex industry," she added. Maynard said that she meets with thousands of women each year working in the sex trade and believes that most are not victims of coercion or abuse. The federal government is expected to enact new legislation in coming months that some believe will mimic the so-called Nordic Model, which targets those using the services of sex workers.
Maynard said that the Stella group opposes that approach. We welcome your comments. Bell Media reviews every comment submitted, and reserves the right to approve comments and edit for brevity and clarity. Please be advised: Comments are moderated and will not appear on site until they have been reviewed. Comments are not open on some news articles; Bell Media reserves the right to choose commenting availability.
