Police warn of potential sexual exploitation as visitors arrive for Grand Prix weekend

Passengers arriving in Montreal’s Trudeau Airport Thursday were met with officers to prevent criminal activities related to sexual exploitation for Grand Prix.

Passengers arriving in Montreal’s Trudeau Airport Thursday were met with a joint force of officers from Montreal police, provincial police and the RCMP hoping to prevent criminal activity related to sexual exploitation during Grand Prix weekend.

The event has been tied to a rise in incidents of prostitution and human trafficking, according to RCMP spokesperson Martina Pillarova, so officers set up kiosks at the arrivals area to intercept passengers as they disembark from their flight.

“The authorities take this opportunity to reiterate that the purchase of sexual services is a crime at all times. Clients should be aware that the vast majority of women are forced to do so. By purchasing sexual services, clients contribute to the financing of sexual exploitation networks,” Pillarova said in a statement to CTV.

Meanwhile Montreal’s airport authority also put posters in its washrooms with information for those who may be a victim of trafficking

The airport awareness campaign was applauded by Jennie-Laure Sully, coordinator of the Concertation de Luttes Contre l’Exploitation Sexuelle (CLES), but she says the problem goes far beyond Grand Prix weekend.

“It’s the beginning of the season. Sexual exploitation will be a problem during this weekend, but it’s also a problem throughout the year,” she said, adding that younger victims are being lured online with promises of a glamourous lifestyle.

Sully said it’s important that parents have conversations with their kids and look for any warning signs.

She said the organization has helped parents whose daughters disappeared during Grand Prix weekend.

“Very often what they’ll say is ‘she told me that she was going just for the weekend, for a hostess job, for a private party.’”

For anyone with information regarding suspected cases of human trafficking or requiring assistance, the RCMP said to call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010, which operates 24/7 in 200 languages. All calls are confidential.