Ottawa-Gatineau part of national human trafficking blitz, Ottawa Police takes part in a National Focus on Young Women Coerced Into Sex Trade

Ottawa-Gatineau part of national human trafficking blitz
By Derek Spalding, OTTAWA CITIZEN January 28, 2014

OTTAWA — Police from across the country identified girls as young as 15 being forced into prostitution, according to numbers from a national anti-human trafficking blitz conducted last week.

Officers in 26 cities, from Alberta to Newfoundland, were involved in the two-day campaign that yielded interviews with 330 women, eight arrests and 28 individual charges.

Despite appearances, the women do not want to be prostitutes, according to a news release issued by Ottawa police Tuesday

“Investigators found several teenagers and young women were being forced to perform through threats of violence, physical intimidation, drug dependency and other forms of coercion,” the release states. “Part or all of the proceeds from the sexual encounters were kept by their controller or pimp.”
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Ottawa+Gatineau+part+national+human+trafficking+blitz/9440594/story.html

Ottawa Police takes part in a National Focus on Young Women Coerced Into Sex Trade
Tuesday, January 28, 2014     

(Ottawa)—Last week, police services from across Canada participated in a two-day blitz focusing on the growing concern that young women are being forced to participate in the sex trade.  This project was coordinated by the Durham Regional Police Service.

“Operation Northern Spotlight” involved 26 police services from across Canada and took place on Wednesday January 22 and Thursday January 23, 2014.

Over 330 women, some as young as 15 years of age, were interviewed. Police found some were being forced to perform sexual acts, multiple times a day, for paying male customers.
http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/MediaRoom/NewsReleases/14-01-28/8c3172c6-7799-4b38-a93e-bd5ab9f0f4cf.aspx