Sex trafficking increases during Stampede: Outreach groups
Posted Jul 12, 2019 4:34 pm.
Last Updated Jul 12, 2019 9:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Beyond the deep fried food, music and other events during the Calgary Stampede, a darker industry lurks underneath.
Local outreach groups report sexual exploitation rises during the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, as traffickers capitalize on the increase of tourists.
Groups like Victory Outreach are going to the well-known strolls in Calgary, offering goodie bags and connecting with sex workers to let them know they can get help if they need it.
“We are seeing some new faces definitely on the stroll,” said Jacquie Meyers. “We’ve got word that some of the girls hit the Stampede then they’ll hit downtown and then they’re coming up to Forest Lawn to the stroll. There are some that are coming in from cities outside of Calgary, and then they’ll hit Klondike Days in Edmonton.”
Another problem is that sexual exploitation is continually under-reported, as victims fear involvement with police or isolation from support networks.
Numbers from Calgary’s Counter-Exploitation Unit in 2017 show 300 reported cases involving women, with another 1,200 involving youth.
READ MORE: Calgary police see jump in public urination: ‘But it’s Stampede, bro!’
To improve the situation, the stigma must be removed.
“Just treat these girls like they’re your own sister, or like that they’re humans,” added Meyers. “There is a fight right now to push these girls aside and why are we jumping on the girls, when really we should be going after the pimps and the johns?”
Other organizations, like CHILL, also go into schools to teach kids about sexual exploitation and how to recognize it.
“There’s a term called boyfriending and girlfriending. That’s a very common recruitment that we see especially in Calgary,” said Kirstie Hayhoe, a community educator with CHILL. “So it’s actually starting a romantic relationship, so it’s often through wooing, providing gifts. So it’s often building that trust and that dependency.”
The groups also help connect sex workers with programs that can help them escape exploitation and provide safe havens.
