The Winnipeg Police Service arrested and charged 26 men in relation to sex trade activity in two weeks.
Project Create partnered the Winnipeg Police Service Counter Exploitation Unit with the Missing Persons Unit and community patrols.
It aimed to combat sex-trade activity in Winnipeg.
“We’re aggressively pursuing those that are exploiting women. Be it human traffickers, pimps, people who exploit young girls, and then the street level stuff as well,” said Sgt. Cam MacKid.
Between Aug. 10 and 26, police arrested and charged 26 men with obtaining sexual services for consideration. The men were between 19 and 77 years old.
Police also seized 10 vehicles.
Advocates said those numbers barely make a dent in the number of people soliciting sex in the city.
“I think that is a very under-representation of what is actually occurring,” said Tracy Booth with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Manitoba.
Booth works with women who are in the sex trade to survive.
She said Winnipeg has one of the poorest sex trade industries in the country.
“You’re not even making enough money, if you’re a survival sex trade worker, to get a place to live in a hotel. You often will still be homeless,” said Booth.
Police said it’s hard to measure the number of sex trade workers in Winnipeg, but estimates between 300 and 400 people make their living on the street.
“The street level activity is really elevated here. It’s of great concern to us because of the inherent dangers in engaging in sex trade activity on the streets of Winnipeg,” said Sgt. MacKid.
During Project Create police identified and connected with 39 women in the sex trade.
They ranged from 18 to 39 years of age.
MacKid said that any youth sex workers are immediately removed from the street and placed in care.
Police don’t charge sex workers, instead focusing on outreach for those in the industry.
They said they will continue Project Create throughout the year.
