Human Trafficking in [Canada] [other countries]Street Children in [Canada] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Canada |
Child Prostitution The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children In the
early years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/childprostitution/Canada.htm
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CAUTION: The following links and accompanying text have been culled
from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** Hundreds of kids in sex trade - Testimony jolts inquest;
police say hands tied Mike McIntyre, Winnipeg Free Press › 20 February 2007 -- Source:
www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/story/3886439p-4494942c.html www.cyc-net.org/features/viewpoints/c-sextrade.html [accessed 23 April 2011] Hundreds of vulnerable She told court that 80 per cent of
child prostitution occurs in gang houses and "trick pads." Runner
estimated that 70 per cent of the girls are aboriginal, more than 70 per cent
are wards of Child and Family Services, and more than 80 per cent get
involved after running away from their placements. HAVE THERE BEEN ANY MAJOR CASES IN
WINNIPEG? - In 2005,
more than 30 children were involved in an alleged West End child prostitution
ring in a Victor Street home. Police
said about 20 youngsters between the ages of 12 and 16 were used in the sex
operation, and 11 others from 18 months to 11 years old were sometimes in the
vicinity of the sex crimes. Drugs blamed for child prostitution Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC News, January 17,
2008 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2008/01/17/child-exploitation.html [accessed 23 April 2011] "It started with drugs for
me," said Anna Moore, standing on a street corner in "This fellow, who calls
himself the sugar daddy, invited her to a party with other kids and gave her
something that she didn't even know what it was — it must have been
crack cocaine mixed with something else — and within no time she was on the
street and hooking," she said.
"This young girl was given it for free, and then they get
hooked." ***
ARCHIVES *** Runaways
- Where To Turn For Help Before You Are Homeless Rebeccas Community www.homeless.org.au/runaways.htm [accessed 22 April 2011] Here are the best phone numbers to
call …They are Confidential - which means they won't tell anyone about your
call unless you want them to talk to somebody for you, or you are in
danger. They are open 24 Hours - it
doesn't matter what time you call In
Canada, call 1-800-668-6868 How To Get Help - Street Helpline: (416) 392-3777 Horizons for Youth www.horizonsforyouth.org/howToGetHelp.php [accessed 22 April 2011] If you are in trouble, need a safe
place to stay or just want help looking at your options Horizons for Youth is
committed to helping out in anyway we can.
Horizons for Youth:
(416) 781-9898 Kids Help Phone: 1 800
668-6868 Kids Help Phone www.kidshelpphone.ca/teens/home/splash.aspx [accessed 22 April 2011] Providing immediate help and hope
that young people need and deserve - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Every day, Kids Help Phone counsellors answer calls
and online questions from across Canada. No matter what the problem or
concern, our counsellors are there to provide
immediate and caring support, information and, if necessary, referral to a
local community or social service agency. CYBERTIP.CA [accessed 23 April 2011] Cybertip.ca is If you know about a child who is
in immediate danger or risk, call 911
or your local police. If you have any information on a missing child, call
Child Find's toll free line at 1-800-387-7962 ECPAT Global Monitoring Report on the status of action against
commercial exploitation of children - CANADA [PDF] ECPAT 2006 www.ecpat.net/A4A_2005/PDF/Americas/Global_Monitoring_Report-CANADA.pdf [accessed 23 April 2011] In Canada, between 10 and 15 per
cent of people involved in street prostitution are under 18, according to
Statistics Canada, but this figure is viewed by most child advocates as a
gross underestimate. The average age recorded for entry into commercial sex
differs across studies, but there is an agreement that children are recruited
by others or feel compelled to enter the sex trade to survive on the street
at an average age of 14-15 years. However, there is some indication that the
age of children entering prostitution is falling, especially for aboriginal
children. Aboriginal youth are disproportionably victimised
through commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and many have been murdered. The increase in prostitution of
children is causing growing concern. Young girls are seduced by pimps and
subsequently conned into prostitution or forced to work in strip clubs. They
are recruited in public places, such as shopping malls, metro stations and
bus stops, and even on the street. Children running away from physical and/or
sexual abuse at home or in foster care, in particular, are easily spotted by
pimps at the bus and train stations of major Canadian cities. The pimps
befriend them and provide them with food, accommodation and clothes before
hooking them on drugs and alcohol and forcing them into sexual service. Human Rights Reports » 2005
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61719.htm [accessed 27 January 2011] CHILDREN - Children were trafficked for
purposes of sexual exploitation. TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The
country was a destination and a transit point to the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 3 October 2003 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/canada2003.html [accessed 27 January 2011] [52] The Committee is encouraged by the role Canada has
played nationally and internationally in promoting awareness of sexual
exploitation and working towards its reduction, including by adopting
amendments to the Criminal Code in 1997 (Bill C-27) and the introduction in
2002 of Bill C-15A, facilitating the apprehension and prosecution of persons
seeking the services of child victims of sexual exploitation and allowing for
the prosecution in Canada of all acts of child sexual exploitation committed
by Canadians abroad. The Committee
notes, however, concerns relating to the vulnerability of street children
and, in particular, Aboriginal children who, in disproportionate numbers, end
up in the sex trade as a means of survival.
The Committee is also concerned about the increase of foreign children
and women trafficked into Testimony of Cherry Kingsley Cherry Kingsley, trafficked in Canada, originally from
Canada; Keynote Address on behalf of the NGO Group for the Convention on the
Rights of the Child before the Second World Congress Against Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children in Yokohama (December 2001) At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 23 April 2011] Firstly, I would like to tell you
about myself for just a moment. I am a survivor of Commercial Sexual
Exploitation. I grew up in the sex trade in Canada from the age of 14- 22.
During those eight years in the sex trade most of my friends died; they died
from drugs, AIDS, violence, murder and some from suicide. Testimony of Dawn Polaris Project actioncenter.polarisproject.org/the-frontlines/survivor-testimonies/38-testimonies/59-testimony-of-dawn [Last access date unavailable] My mother kicked me out of my home
at the age of 12. I spent the first few weeks couch surfing and trying to go
back home. Often it would last just a few days and then soon I would be back
out. I had to quit school and try to make my way in the world with no
support. I had no place to go and as far as choices I had 2…live on the
streets or die. When I left I went straight to the only place I knew to go, a
local hangout for all various types of problem kids....Beaver Hill Park. I have often heard men say that I
had a choice, and I did, it was either work as a prostitute or starve to
death because it is illegal in Canada to work at 12, not to mention that no
one will hire you if you have no address and are only 13 or 14. Child prostitute alleges she was lured to Times Colonist, November 17, 2008 www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=%202f361123-b251-4fc1-97d0-2c578968d52f [accessed 27 January 2011] A man released on bail in October
is back in custody after police discovered he allegedly lured a 14-year-old
female to work as a prostitute. She alleges that she met the
Victoria man over the internet. He lured her to Victoria from her family home
in the B.C. Interior from where she has been missing for three weeks. Once
here, he took control of her possessions, including identification and
wallet. She says that when she tried to leave, he beat her and threatened
her. Prostitution - Another escort death has sex trade workers
debating how to stay safe Bryan Saunders, VUE WEEKLY, Jul. 09, 2008 - Issue #664:
Rocky 12 [accessed 23 April 2011] The perception that most prostitutes
are mentally ill, or abused, or drug or alcohol addicts or were all forced
into the business, is also false, Strachan argues.
She points to herself as an example of someone who consciously chose to be a
prostitute, until, she says, she “just got bored of it.” There are some
drug-addicts, mentally ill and victims of human trafficking in the sex trade,
Strachan admits, but she says they are the
exception and not the rule. White disagrees, however, with the
idea that the majority of women working in the sex trade made an educated
decision to do so. As an Aboriginal woman who looks Caucasian, White explains
that during her childhood she was accepted by neither her Aboriginal nor her
white peers. As a result, White got involved in drugs and alcohol with some
fellow misfits and eventually started to have underage sex. As she puts it,
she was presented with a way to finally fit in, and what she thought was a
great way to make money. “After a
while, you lose your self respect and think, ‘Well, I might as well charge. I
mean, I’m giving it away for free,’” White says. Five girls in care have been selling sex on Craigslist, police say E. Baron, canada.com, May 9, 2008 www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=c1e6d15c-21d9-4619-ada5-f954a0367129 [accessed 23 April 2011] Child Trafficking Under Our Radar: MP [PDF] Katie Rook, National Post, April 11, 2008 www.oacas.org/news/08/april/11trafficking.pdf [accessed 23 April 2011] "You think it doesn't happen
and our Canadian public thinks it doesn't happen with ordinary Canadian
girls, but it does. It's actually gone under the public radar screen." Young women and children are bought and
sold and forced to work in brothels throughout Canada. While some victims are
lured from other countries with modelling contracts
or the promise of citizenship, others are recruited within Canada. Human
trafficking and child exploitation are not solely the problems of other
countries known for their thriving sex trade industries, she said. The RCMP estimates that in Canada about 800
women and children are being trafficked for prostitution each year. Advocacy
groups suggest there could be as many as 15,000 victims each year. Drugs blamed for child prostitution Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC News, January 17,
2008 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2008/01/17/child-exploitation.html [accessed 23 April 2011] "It started with drugs for
me," said Anna Moore, standing on a street corner in "This fellow, who calls
himself the sugar daddy, invited her to a party with other kids and gave her
something that she didn't even know what it was — it must have been
crack cocaine mixed with something else — and within no time she was on the
street and hooking," she said.
"This young girl was given it for free, and then they get
hooked." Terri Theodore, Canadian Press, freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1113277&sid=2ee9af469587395df5441db92e714e49 [accessed 23 April 2011] Hundreds of kids in sex trade - Testimony jolts inquest;
police say hands tied Mike McIntyre, -- Source: www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/story/3886439p-4494942c.html www.cyc-net.org/features/viewpoints/c-sextrade.html [accessed 23 April 2011] Hundreds of vulnerable She told court that 80 per cent of
child prostitution occurs in gang houses and "trick pads." Runner
estimated that 70 per cent of the girls are aboriginal, more than 70 per cent
are wards of Child and Family Services, and more than 80 per cent get
involved after running away from their placements. HAVE THERE BEEN ANY MAJOR CASES IN
WINNIPEG? - In 2005,
more than 30 children were involved in an alleged West End child prostitution
ring in a Victor Street home. Police
said about 20 youngsters between the ages of 12 and 16 were used in the sex
operation, and 11 others from 18 months to 11 years old were sometimes in the
vicinity of the sex crimes. More Blue Uniforms To Fight Child Prostitution In [access information unavailable] Talks are still in their infancy,
but Out of the shadows: child prostitutes speak out Leanne Yohemas-Hayes and John Chilibeck, Capital News Online, www.carleton.ca/JMC/cnews/16031998/story2.html [accessed 23 April 2011] Megan Lewis turned her first trick
when she was 13 and worked in a brothel with other girls as young as 11. They
sold their bodies in the back of a knick-knack shop in Vancouver's Gastown tourist district. Lewis felt she was making big
bucks when she finished a night's work with $30 in her pocket. For 11 years
she was physically and sexually abused. But she couldn't turn her back on the
life she had grown used to. When is a law not a law? When do-gooder politicians
fail to proclaim it Linda Williamson, www.canadiancrc.com/Newspaper_Articles/Toronto_Sun_When_is_a_law_not_a_law_01OCT06.aspx [accessed 23 April 2011] YEARS OF LOBBYING - Other provinces, notably Trouble is, it was never
proclaimed -- not by the Tories and not by the Liberals since they came to
power, even though it was the brainchild of one of their own. Amazingly, some
youth outreach groups oppose the law as too "draconian" -- because,
hey, why shouldn't a 14-year-old have the right to sell her body for cash? Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC News, September 25,
2006 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2006/09/25/child-sex.html [accessed 23 April 2011] According to StopSexWithKids.ca,
about 400 children and youth, aged eight to 16 years, are sexually exploited
on National Post, July 12, 2006 www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/toronto/story.html?id=d8868283-21cf-4db8-9086-b29e5754f5d6 [accessed 23 April 2011] A 28-year-old Sexual Exploitation Education and Awareness Coalition of www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2006/27/c2414.html [Last access date unavailable] Today, the Sexual Exploitation
Education and Awareness Coalition of Toronto (SEEACT) launched its
information and outreach poster campaign at Toronto Police Service
Headquarters. The poster is one of the
coalition's projects aimed at spreading awareness and providing outreach to
victims of child prostitution. The slogan, "No 13-Year-Old Dreams of
Getting into Prostitution, Many Dream of Getting Out", is intended to
help children and youth involved in, or affected by, commercial sexual
exploitation reach out for assistance. It is also intended to educate the
public that child prostitution is a form of child abuse. The phone number will
give victims a point of contact for two community support agencies - Street
Outreach Services, LOFT Community Services and Kids Help Phone. N.L. police investigate alleged child porn and
prostitution operation Canadian Press, fleshploitation.blogspot.com/2006/02/newfoundland-child-porn-prostitution.html [accessed 23 April 2011] An investigation into a porn and
prostitution ring that allegedly involved 40 young girls in Child-sex ring uncovered in Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC News, November 2,
2005 www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/11/02/child-sex-051102.html [accessed 27 January 2011] Sgt. Kelly Dennison said about 20
girls – aged 12 to 17 – were sold into prostitution. Dennison said the other children younger
than age 12, including a baby of only 18 months, weren't necessarily forced
to perform sexual acts but may have been exposed to them because they lived
in the houses where they were taking place. The Protection Project - The www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/canada.doc [accessed 2009] FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Several Canadian cities have been
cited as popular sex tourist destinations. Montreal has frequently been
referred to as the Bangkok of the West by American and Canadian tourists, and
American tourists have been known to travel to Montreal for prostituted women
and escort agencies. The Internet has
also helped make Vancouver a sex tourist destination. Along the so-called kiddie stroll, girls as young as 11 work the streets, and
young men are sold for sex in “boys’ town.”
According to Vancouver health authorities, Victoria is a child sex
tourism destination, and Internet sites detail how to buy underage sex there.
Some people visit Five Years After ECPAT: Fifth Report on
implementation of the Agenda for Action ECPAT International, November 2001 www.no-trafficking.org/content/web/05reading_rooms/five_years_after_stockholm.pdf [accessed 13 September 2011] [B]
COUNTRY UPDATES – Out Of The Shadows: Child
Prostitutes Speak Out Leanne Yohemas-Hayes and John Chilibeck, Capital News Online, www.carleton.ca/JMC/cnews/16031998/story2.html [accessed 24 April 2011] She turned her first trick when
she was 13 and worked in a brothel with other girls as young as 11. They sold
their bodies in the back of a knick-knack shop in The Dark Side Of The Street fightforjustice.blogspot.com/2006/03/dark-side-of-street.html [accessed 24 April 2011] Prostitution is a serious issue in
· parents and families of prostitutes · spouses and families of people who use prostitutes · community members who must live in neighborhoods where pimps and
prostitutes operate · youth and young adults who are at risk of being seduced into prostitution Why Do Youths Get Into Prostitution? www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/police/kids/why5.html [Last access date unavailable] While many child prostitutes are
girls who come from troubled family situations, anyone can become a victim.
They don't have to be poor, they can be female or male, they can be any age,
and many young prostitutes still have families who care about them. Here are
some common factors that can lead to young people getting involved in
"the life:" Who Becomes A Child Prostitute? www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/police/kids/who5.html [Last access date unavailable] Typical profile of a female
prostitute and typical profile of a male prostitute Teenage Prostitution - The Real Story www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/police/kids/over18.html [Last access date unavailable] Many young girls are lured into a
horrible and tragic life of prostitution involving violence and drug
addiction. In early Child Prostitution: Whose Child Next? cyprus.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=897 [accessed 24 April 2011] 13-year-old Anna was tied to a
chair by a man in his late 20’s in a dark, wet room. Her wounded legs lay
motionless, while her tired black eyes stared with panic at the beaker of
boiling water which the man threatened to pour down her throat if she refused
to go on doing what he demanded: selling her body. Shockingly enough the
above scene was not set in Presentation To The Parliamentary Committee On
Solicitation 38th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION, Subcommittee on Solicitation
Laws of the Standing Committee on Justice, Human Rights, Public Safety and
Emergency Preparedness, March 31, 2005 www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=1723237&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=38&Ses=1 [accessed 24 April 2011] MS. HERMINA DYKXHOOME - Another area of great concern to the
members of my organization is Women, girls, and young boys
involved in prostitution usually have a disrupted education, few skills,
little experience, and diminished prospects for meaningful employment.
Sheltered housing, job training, adult education opportunities, and drug and
alcohol rehabilitation need the attention of both government and civil
society. While not all will respond to these initiatives, they are necessary
in order to help those who wish to reintegrate into mainstream society. Police Say 30 Kids Involved In CTV.ca News Staff, with reports from CTV's
Jill Macyshon and CTV Winnipeg's Rachel Lagace, Nov. 3 2005 www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20051102/wpg_sexring_051102/ [accessed 24 April 2011] More than 30 children were
victimized in what police are calling the largest case of child prostitution
in CISC 2005 Annual Report on Organized Crime in Criminal Intelligence Service www.cisc.gc.ca/media/media_2005/documents/highlights_e.pdf [accessed 24 April 2011] Child prostitution is usually a
hidden section of the prostitution market, and thus frequently exists
alongside adult prostitution, and is therefore, difficult for law enforcement
to identify. Small groups of organized criminals and lower-level organized
crime groups are involved in child prostitution in Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in David Thompson, Third Year Student at www.beyondborders.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/fact-sheet-csec-in-canada3.pdf [accessed 24 April 2011] [page 2]
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE AGE OF ENTRY LEVEL FOR CSEC IN HOW MANY CSEC ARE THERE IN CANADA? Experts disagree on this. For instance, one 2001 news report states that Vancouver has about 500 CSEC under the age of 17 on the street, and 10 times as many girls are forced to work behind closed doors. Statement on Prostitution Position Paper by Real Women Of www.realwomenca.com/page/stateprostitution.html [accessed 24 April 2011] Prostitutes are extremely
vulnerable members of society, open to personal and sexual degradation,
exploitation and violence from their customers, pimps, and businesses from
whose premises they work. They have no security or job training to
sustain them in later years, and often their physical and mental health is at
risk. We are particularly concerned
about the effect of prostitution on young children and teenagers, giving them
the impression that sexuality is merely recreation and sport, and not a
responsible, loving expression best obtained within the desirable and
permanent context of a conjugal relationship. It encourages teenagers
to view prostitution as a temporary way of financial survival, rather than
working to acquire marketable work skills through the more permanent route of
education and employment. These vulnerable children are
often throw-away kids and we must
increase the capacity of rehabilitative centres to
rescue them. Child Prostitution At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 13 September 2011] There are an estimated 10,000
children living on the streets of A City Rebuffs Child Prostitution Mark Clayton, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug 1996 At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 13 September 2011] Child prostitution peaked in Robert Matas, British Columbia
Bureau, Vancouver, Globe And Mail
p.A5, May 1, 1999 www.walnet.org/csis/news/vancouver_99/gandm-990501-2.html [accessed 24 April 2011] Clueless in Commentary by Ed Hynes, A View from www.obscenitycrimes.org/news/newsFebruary2004.php [accessed 24 April 2011] In All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Child Prostitution - |
Human Trafficking in [Canada] [other countries]Street Children in [Canada] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Canada